Cake Crumbs Redux
by myboygeorge
Summary: It's baby time again for Castle and Beckett, and as they prepare for RJ's new sibling, they are reminded of all the love and laughter since they've gotten together.  M, natch.  HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY CRUMBSVERSE!
1. The Decision

Detective Kate Beckett wasn't quite sure how it had happened, nor was she certain of why it happened. All she cared about though, all that really matter was that it happened at all.

Somehow she'd become..._happy_, she realized, studying her murder board. It was the end of a rainy day in late May and all she had on her mind was going home to her husband and her son, and that thought filled her with the greatest joy she'd felt all day. Castle had called her around lunch time, informing her that her dad, his mother, Alexis and Shane would be at the loft for dinner that night, so he was going to make spaghetti and meatballs, one of RJ's favourites. The thought of it, being cozy in the loft with her family with a nice glass of wine while the thunder rolled above their heads and lightening split the sky, of possibly losing power and telling RJ stories by candlelight was the perfect balm after a day with a case that was full of nothing but dead ends. The only carrot that was keeping her from totally losing it was the knowledge that she would see those faces with big smiles as she came through the door.

Sighing with resignation, Beckett decided enough was enough, she needed a fresh brain and fresh eyes to start with in the morning, after a night of comfort food, cuddling with her son and then cuddling with her husband in a much more grown-up way. Hell, maybe, depending on the population at the loft, if RJ was occupied by his sister and her fiance, she could convince her husband to come upstairs and take a shower with her.

And why was her brain going to such sexual places in a heartbeat this week, she wondered as she checked the files she would need in the morning. Weird, weird, weird. Maybe it was too much time around Javier Esposito, with his angst about still not having made a fourth baby with Meredeth that had her in such a frame of mind.

'You're awfully deep in thought, might I suggest a tow-rope so you don't get lost?'

Beckett glanced up at Ryan's friendly comment, gave him a light smile. 'Just thinking about spaghetti and meatballs.'

'Ah, Papa Beckett's popping by for a meal tonight? Castle usually makes spaghetti and meatballs when your dad stops in for a visit,' he replied off of her questioning expression. 'Full house or just Jim?'

'Gang's all here tonight. Alexis, Shane, Martha, Dad and the three of us.'

'So I guess there would be no hope of you bringing leftovers?'

Beckett laughed, powered down her computer. 'Between RJ and Shane it's a wonder we have a dining room table after that kind of a meal.'

'Dell and Marsh-Mally are the same around Chinese food. I've actually seen them rock-paper-scissors over the final egg roll.'

'Naww, Marsh-Mally?' She teased the Irish cop, making him blush red as the tie he wore while they headed for the elevator. 'I do believe you're going all soft-n-squishy on us, Detective Ryan.'

'This from the woman who still won't admit she cries like a little girl when she watches _Lilo and Stitch_,' Ryan retorted and grinned when Beckett's eyes narrowed at him.

'It was allergy season.'

'In November?'

'Winter allergies.'

'Not biting on that hook, Kate.'

'Wait, you let your kids have Chinese food?' Beckett looked at him as they walked into their level of the parking garage, and Ryan nodded.

'The deal is whatever amount of fried crap they eat they have to match it in vegetables.'

'Good trick. See ya in the am.'

Beckett slipped into her vehicle, navigated her way south and east to home. It had been a task to be able to think of the loft as her home after being so proud of her independence for so long, yet once she'd moved in, she felt like it had been wasted energy to stress over the move in the first place. It wasn't that she was giving up her independence as a grown woman, but that she was gaining the possibilities inherent with her relationship with Castle.

Now here they were, nearly four years married with a gorgeous daughter and son - Beckett never thought of Alexis as a stepdaughter, nor did she really process it that Shane was only seventeen months younger than herself and engaged to the beautiful redhead, or that Alexis could often be mistaken for RJ's mother in public. All she saw when she looked at them were her children and the man who would be her son-in-law in fourteen months time.

God wasn't that a kick in the ass, Beckett mused with a giggle as she stepped off the lift and fit her key in the lock. Alexis was going to be a married woman in little more than a year. It seemed like just a few short months that she and Shane had been together, when the reality was they'd been together two and a half years.

With the smile of reminiscing on her face, she walked into the loft and the fantasy of having her husband in the shower before dinner was ready evaporated like smoke in a wind tunnel when she saw that everyone was there - Jim Beckett was in the kitchen rolling ground beef into meatballs while Martha supervised with a glass of red wine in hand, and in the living room, Alexis and Shane were playing Go Fish with RJ.

'Do you have any...turtles?'

'No tuh-tells, Alessis. Go fish.'

'Well isn't this the cozy picture?' Beckett said to the room at large and everyone looked up, greeting her cheerfully. RJ, of course, could always be counted on, and he instantly forgot his card game in favour of his mother.

'Mama! You home safe!' He threw his arms around her legs in a python-squeeze of a hug, then looked up at her. 'Cash baddies today?'

'I'm working on it, my little prince.'

'Moosh?'

'Of course.' Beckett crouched to eye level and gave RJ a big noisy kiss. 'How's that?'

'Wonnaful,' RJ replied, and pecked his mother's cheek. 'One fo' you too.'

'There's that wicked Castle charm,' Jim said, shaking his head as RJ dragged his mother by the wrist towards the kitchen. 'RJ, I think you need to do a little tidying up before you get talking with your mama.'

'O-kay, Poppy.' With only a little resignation, RJ wandered back over to Shane and Alexis, told them he was done and he neatly tidied his cards back into the pile.

Beckett smiled at him, then gave Castle a smile that was far less innocent. 'Hey you,' she said, and she could see her husband's radar going off as she did. 'How was your day?'

'Better now that you're home. You hungry?'

'Famished.'

'Good.' Castle leaned over gave her a short kiss, then a longer one which had RJ groaning.

'Mama, ew, why mooshin' ?'

'Trust me big guy,' Beckett chuckled, turning to see Alexis with her brother in her arms, and the little man was making one hell of a grossed-out face. 'You'll understand in a little bit.'

'You want a little sister, don't you?' Jim teased his grandson. 'Kissing's part of how that happens, my man.'

'Ew! Ew, ew, ew!'

'Again.' Now it was Alexis who was laughing. 'You'll understand in a few years.'

* * *

><p>Dinner proved to be a very high-spirited affair, as everyone seemed to have a story to tell - Alexis was having fun torturing RJ with stories about her cadaver labs in medical school while Shane took a similar approach with Jim and Martha while detailing the particulars of a rather gruesome murder. Castle had leaped in at various intervals to try and steer the conversation away from the gloriously gory and Beckett had indulged in a small glass of wine as she watched it all.<p>

Now, after Jim and Martha, and Alexis and Shane had left for the evening and RJ was tucked into bed, Beckett was flaked out on the couch in front of the fireplace with Castle bringing her a glass of wine she waved off.

'Thanks, but no thanks. Not in the mood for the fermented stuff.'

'Okay, more for me.'

'Why would you want to do that when we're going to do it in a little bit?' Beckett asked conversationally, loving how Castle spluttered and choked on his sip of wine.

'Man, you've been wanting it a lot lately.'

'Well...' She reached over, picked up his hand. 'Remember that conversation we had back in January, about trying for another one?'

'Yeah.'

'Let's do it.'

Castle blinked at her. 'Come again?'

'I think we're ready for another baby, I think we should start trying again.' Beckett pursed her lips to try and hide her triumphant grin at the change of his expression from baffled to eager in a nanosecond. 'I haven't...it hasn't been the same since Alexis moved in with Shane, and it's made me miss her, and that makes me think of wanting another baby for ourselves.'

'Seriously? You think we're ready for another one?'

'To start trying anyways. You still feel like a glass of wine?'

'Right now, I feel like a glass of you.'


	2. The Steaming Hot Fun

Castle grinned as he held his wife's hand and they raced up to their room like teenagers sneaking off at a party. Or like Ryan and Honey-Milk, he started to correct himself, then stopped. The last thing he wanted to think about was those two all hot-n-heavy when he was about to get lucky himself.

Though there was little chance of RJ wandering in, being the good sleeper he was, Castle shut the door and gave Beckett a long, slow kiss.

'Why don't we set the mood a little, darling?' he murmured to her. 'Not just, let's make a baby, hop on sailor.'

'I agree. In fact, I was thinking perhaps...maybe we might have a little foreplay in the shower together?'

'The shower?'

'Uh-huh.' Beckett nodded as she slipped the buttons of her blouse through the holes. 'It's been on my mind today, I think the rain was getting to me.'

'I see. Well then, let's go run the water.'

'In a moment.'

Beckett unfastened her pants, slipped them off along with her bra and panties, then went to look at her body in the mirror. She still had a small bit of a tum from RJ that no amount of diet and exercise would shake off. Absently she ran her hands over it, over the rest of her naked body and tried to imagine it large once again with another baby.

'Katie-Lou, you are thinking too much.'

'Not thinking, daydreaming,' she corrected, then let out a pleasant little sigh as he wrapped his arms around her from behind - he was as naked as she was and there was little more she needed right now. Turning around Beckett pressed her body into his and kissed him; her legs were just enough apart that went she gently thrust her hips forward at him, she grazed against him seductively.

'Oh, God.' Castle groaned, felt his blood moving around. 'Forget the shower, I'll have you now.'

'All good things to those who wait.'

'Aw, man.'

'And now you sound like our son.'

He gave her the fish-eye. 'That's a good way to dampen my spirits.'

Because she was feeling particularly frisky with him tonight Beckett couldn't help herself. 'I thought I was the one who's supposed to be getting...damp.'

Castle fought the urge to actually bite his fist in frustration. 'Good thing we're getting in the shower so we can clean you up, dirty girl.'

Hand-in-hand, they went into the ensuite, where a few flips of the levers had piping-hot water raining down on them both. For a moment, they stood together under the hot spray with hands running over each others' bodies, reveling in the touch of the skin. Castle groaned as Beckett's hands slipped down his back to clench over his ass, one moving around to the front to just lay against him. He was hardening already from that alone, but since she was in such a charged mood, he wanted to be the one to seduce her.

He dipped his head, kissed her deeply, tongue searching in her mouth; her sigh was one of pure, melting pleasure. Just when he felt her start to kiss him back, his lips cruised over her jaw down her shoulder and back so that he was looking deep into those sea-goddess eyes.

'Kate,' he murmured, closing her hands over the shower bar. 'You'll need to hang onto something.'

'What?'

But he was already kneeling down in front of her, hands over her hips and those smooth, firm lips kissed their way up her inner thigh until-

'Oh, god!'

Beckett felt stars burst behind her eyes at the sensation of his tongue tasting her, her thigh muscles going lax as need rose like a tsunami in her core. Her back arched in reflex as she shuddered; she wanted so badly to run her fingers through his dark, damp hair but she was far too lost in her own needs to make that a good idea. Her hips were creating a rhythm beneath his mouth and when she felt his fingers stroke firmly over her leg to join his lips, she swore she blacked out for a moment.

'Rich, I'm...I'm...'

'Yes, Kate,' he whispered as he laved at her and smiled with pure manly satisfaction as his gorgeous wife began to tremble with orgasm at his hand. Or mouth as it were. When her shaking had subsided, he rose up and kissed her as hot water sluiced over them both.

'Rich,' Beckett said again, hands clutching at his back. 'Now.'

'I'll need a little help.'

'Okay.'

Planting her feet as best as she could Beckett slipped her hand between their bodies and closed her hand over the hard length of him to help guide him in. She rocked her hips forward against his so he filled her up, and as she did so, she licked her lips in anticipation of him, making Castle nearly lose his mind already.

She still had no idea what those little things did to him, Castle wondered briefly, like when she touched the tip of her tongue to the bow of her lip, the thought of him buried so deeply inside her making her hungry for it. He moved with her, making it a slow deep grind, the kind that had her fingers digging deep into his back in a way that would leave war-wounds in his shoulder-blades. The whispered demands for him to keep going, to not stop, until she all but sobbed that she was coming again, and it didn't take long for Castle to say the same thing back to her and empty himself inside her.

For awhile they stood there tangled together in the shower, trying to get their breath back. Beckett stared at him, the goofy, satisfied grin taking over her face as she smoothed her wet hair out of the way.

'Well,' she said in a considering tone, 'that's one way to start trying to give RJ a brother or sister.'

'Indeed,' was the only thing Castle could think of to reply with. 'A very fun way to use the shower too. And now I'm hungry again.'

'And we're back. I think there's leftover pasta in the fridge.'

'Not pasta. Grilled cheese.'

'I thought since I'm the girl, I'm the one who's supposed to get weird-ass cravings,' Beckett teased him as he shut off the water and they stepped out of the shower. Reaching for her towel, she gave him a look as he shook his head. 'What?'

'We're alone, you don't need to cover up.'

'I'm drying off and wrapping up. Deal with it.'

'Then how can I oogle your caboose?' At her eye roll, Castle reached for his robe and belted it loosely around his waist. 'Ah well, if you're covered up, I get to fantasize about what's underneath.

He opened the door, winking at her - and stopped short when they both saw RJ sitting in the middle of their bed with his precious bunny Omeo looking absolutely miserable.

'Mama? Daddy?'

'Hey, big guy, what's wrong?' The post-coital afterglow of amazing sex vanished in place of motherly concern. Beckett reached for her own robe on the back of the bedroom door and tied it tight around her before kneeling on the bed beside her son. 'Why are you out of bed?'

'Bad duh-reams, Mama. Big bugs geddin' me. You no' here.'

'Oh, my little prince, it's okay. I'm here now.'

'Why you an' Daddy all wet?' RJ asked with a sniffle, looking at his parents. 'You haffa bath time?'

'Something like that.'

The little boy nodded, then burst into tears again. 'No' wanna suh-leep. I suh-cared, Mama.'

'It's alright, RJ. Mama's here, and Daddy too.' Beckett gathered her son close, gently rocking him back and forth. 'Nothing's going to get you, we're here.'

'I posa be big boy.'

'RJ, I'll tell you a secret.' Having found his voice, Castle came over and stroked RJ's sleep-matted hair. 'Everyone gets scared, boys and girls, even mamas and daddies too.'

'You no' suh-cared ever, Daddy. Shane too.'

'Yes I am,' he replied honestly, silently adding, _like right now, when it's possible my almost-three-year old overheard me screwinghis mother's brains out in the shower.  
><em>

'Huh. O-kay, Daddy. I have-a hug?'

'Of course.'

RJ unwrapped his arms from around his mama and gave Castle a squeeze, then held out Omeo. 'Bunnies af-aid too?'

'Even bunnies get afraid too.' Castle did his duty and gave Omeo a kiss and a hug. 'You want to hang here for a moment?'

'Puh-lease an' tanks.'

RJ snuggled down between his parents, and when he finally gave up the fight against his eyelids, Beckett and Castle looked at each other with a nervous laugh.

'Well, at least we avoided a baby-making conversation. At least for now.'

'There are worse things to have happen. Remember Carey asking Lanie if Dell was right in saying parents had to be naked together to make a little brother or sister?'

Castle blanched at the idea of it. 'Yep, I think we should consider ourselves very lucky.'

'And once the little guy's back in bed, we'll consider ourselves _very_ lucky.'


	3. The Surprise Guest: 11 Weeks

Castle was in the shower, rinsing soap from his hair when he heard the door burst open and the creak of the toilet seat being lifted, followed by the hideous sounds of his wife wretching her guts out. He peeked around the corner of the shower curtain to see her in her pyjamas still, holding her stomach as she gagged and spat.

'Still feeling crumby, huh?'

'Yep, but it feels different than the morning sickness I had with RJ. Maybe it's not morning sickness, maybe it's just a virus.'

'Well, give it a moment or two. We just decided two weeks ago to start trying, right?' Castle ducked back under the water, finished his morning routine.

'Yeah, and we're meeting with Harvey after I'm done in court to make sure everything's on the up-and-up.'

'You think you'll make it?'

'Oh yeah, it's only a preliminary and we scored Fuqua, so you know there won't be any circus hoopla with her in charge.' Exhausted, Beckett rocked back on her heels to her bottom, stared down her new enemy the toilet. 'I really hope this clears up or can at least be managed while I'm in court. Last thing I need is to lean over the witness stand and boot on the stenographer.'

Castle laughed, manoeuvred his way around her. 'Here.' He dug into her side of the vanity stand and produced an elastic, pulled her hair back in a queue for her. 'That better?'

Beckett responded by leaning forward and gagging into the porcelain bowl again, but she was down to dry heaves now as there was nothing in her stomach left to vomit out. As she flushed the toilet, got to her feet, she felt her stomach gurgle, but not in the agony of nausea; this was a craving gurgle. Beckett knew it had to be because the notion of scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, ham and green peppers danced through her head and made her mouth water. Rinsing her mouth at the faucet, she went back into her bedroom where Castle was dressing for the day and opened her calendar app on her phone, skimmed back to the little frowny-faced note she'd made the last time she'd gotten her period. Doing the math, she looked up at her husband who caught her gaze in the reflection of the mirror.

'Rick?'

'Yes?' He replied with a grin, loving the excited look on her face.

'I think when I'm done in court today, between court and my appointment we should stop at a pharmacy so I can get a Clear-Blue test.'

Castle whipped around, shirt half-buttoned. 'You think so? You don't think that it's too soon?'

'I don't know, I just...my instincts are telling me that's the right move to make.'

'Okay then.' He crossed over to where she sat on her side of the bed and gave her a supportive kiss. 'We're having a quick lunch at Pinkos, so can take it between main course and coffee.'

* * *

><p>As Beckett had predicted, Fuqua tolerated no shenanigans in her court so the preliminary hearing for Dalton Gribble went off like clockwork. Gribble, who had murdered three bankers who would give him a deal on a line of credit, was bound over for trial that would begin in the end of August, which meant she and the Ry-Sposito monster were in a mood to celebrate.<p>

'Nothing too big, we still need to nail him in August,' Esposito decided as he looked over her shoulder and grinned. 'Hey, look it's Mister Mom!'

'Once you get Mere pregnant again, we'll see who's the mommy, mister,' Castle fired back with a grin equal to his friend's before wrapping his arm around Beckett's waist. 'And how was your morning, dear?'

'Bastard's going to trial.'

'Congratulations.'

'And now we're going to celebrate by way of the stomach,' Ryan added joyfully.

'Why don't you guys come to Pinkos with us?'

The mention of lunch had Beckett's gut clenching - there was no way she could justify taking a home pregnancy test during lunch with her boys when she knew that Esposito and Meredeth were still having no luck on their fourth baby's conception.

They filtered out of the now-busy lobby of the courthouse, and Ryan and Esposito hopped in their ride while Beckett did the nearly unthinkable: since she still felt a little woozy from the nausea, she actually let Castle drive.

'You must be really out of it if you're trusting me behind the wheel,' he joked, then softened when he saw her face. 'It's okay, Kate. Our happiness isn't a reflection of you being a bad friend to Esposito.'

'I know how much he wants one more with Meredeth, and how much she wants it too. If I get a home test and take it now, I'm...I can't, Rick. I can't do it and sleep well at night.'

'Okay, then we'll wait until we get to Harvey's office this afternoon.'

* * *

><p>They weren't waiting long when they got to Harvey's actual office across the street from Saint Vincent's. It was less than twenty minutes from the time Beckett checked in with reception to the time that she was in the examination room, dressed in a thin medical gown with her bright purple panties peeking out the back.<p>

'I still can't believe you wore those frilly things underneath your suit to court today,' Castle commented, admiring the view of her backside.

'I like them when I'm not feeling well so even if I look and sound and even smell like crap, I know I've got one part of me looking fancy.'

'Alrighty then.' It was the only rejoinder Castle could think of that wouldn't insult her ego. Rather than dwelling on it, he leaned forward in his chair and took her hand. 'Kate, I know there's a possibility that you might already be pregnant, but if you're not, please don't get too down.'

'I won't,' she replied. 'Like you said, it's probably a false alarm. Harvey is going to do an ultrasound on my innards, though, just to make sure there's nothing growing like cysts or polyps that would affect my - our - chances of conception.'

'See, this must be true love because hearing you use all that medical jargon just makes me wanna lie you back and play doctor.'

Before Beckett could give him hell over being so pervy, the door to the room opened and Harvey walked in. It was always weird to see Harvey in office clothes, she thought bemusedly, as they often looked like a costume on him. He was a man much more suited to the multi-coloured scrubs and sneakers he usually wore when he was on duty at the hospital. In a total moment of clear memory, she remembered his scrub cap had tiki-totem heads on it and thought he looked undressed without it sitting atop his full head of hair.

'Well, welcome back Castle family. Where is the little prince?' he asked with a sunny smile.

'He has a play-date today with Andrea Brick's little girl,' Castle replied. 'The two of them, Mallory Ryan and Violet Parrish-Robbins are all spending the afternoon together with Agnes so Andrea could go shopping for Carey's birthday party next weekend in peace.'

'My, my, just like his daddy going after all the girls.'

'And just like his daddy, he's got one already picked out he's wearing down,' Beckett teased back. 'Pretty soon, she'll be madly in love with him right back.'

'Well, in the meantime, why don't we have a look at your heart and weight and blood-pressure, Kate?'

'Actually, Harvey...' She looked at Castle and felt a flutter in her chest. 'There's a chance I might already be pregnant, so maybe could we confirm that part first?'

'Oh, of course. You know the drill, Kate.'

Beckett assumed the scanning position and gave an involuntary shiver as she felt the cold blue gel hit her stomach today. 'Andrea's not here with you?' she asked absently as Harvey set up the equipment.

'No, she's off today, and she and her husband are getting ready for their first family vacation. Apparently they're taking Nessa back to where they spent last December?'

'Antigua. Shane and Alexis went with them.'

'Alright, Kate, moment of truth.' Harvey flipped on the ultrasound machine, moved the wand over Beckett's exposed belly. When he repositioned the instrument, he grinned and gave them both a look. 'You called it right, Detective.'

'I was right? I'm already pregnant?'

'Yes, from the looks of it, I'd say you were about...eleven weeks into it, too.'

'What!' Now Beckett popped up on her elbows, blinked at the screen. 'What? No, no, that's not right, I got my period twice.'

'And was it lighter than normal both times?' When she didn't answer, Harvey nodded. 'It could have just been breakthrough bleeding, the body making sure the embryo was going to stick. But there you are, you've got yourselves a healthy little one on the way once more. Here, let's have a listen to that nice strong heart.'

''So...' Beckett trailed off, picked up Castle's hand to play with his wedding ring as they studied the image on-screen, heard the _wub-wub-wub_ of the heartbeat with awe. Their baby, the next member of the Castle clan, was already well under construction. 'Who gets to tell RJ how babies are made?'


	4. The RJ Reveal

'Why me?'

'Because you're the father, you've got the same basic equipment. If RJ were a girl, I'd be having the talk with him. Or her.'

'Basic?' Castle looked affronted as his baby mama unlocked the loft apartment. 'There's nothing basic about what I do with you in bed.'

'Focus, Richard,' Beckett insisted, but she was smiling as she did it. 'I mean when we tell him he's going to be a big brother, I can almost guarantee he will ask how the baby got inside me.'

'And since he's only two and a half, we can't exactly use a copy of _Dear Diary_ to explain it, now can we?'

'That's disturbing on so many levels.'

She tossed her keys into the ceramic bowl on the island, then headed upstairs to change out of her court-clothes. The temperature outside had climbed from uncomfortably warm to death-valley while they'd been inside the cool air-conditioned doctor's office, and it was making her sleepy. No wonder people who went to the tropics for vacation did little more than work on a tan and drink, it was too damn hot out to do anything else.

Foregoing the change of clothes for a moment Beckett stretched out on her back and just ran her palms over her belly. There was another one in there, was all she could think with a gleeful grin. She and her husband had made another baby, this time without really trying. Laying there, she tried to think back almost three months and could only come up with one answer - Saint Patty's Day. It was the first year they hadn't been able to have a big blowout like usual at their apartment, owing to the fact that Beckett had been working almost non-stop so they'd gone with their friends to Pinkos to watch the basketball game and get trashed on cheap beer dyed green. Beckett had been in a mood to more have a celebration of the Irish in a private way for her husband so she'd leaned over in the middle of the restaurant and told him she had green lingerie waiting for him at home.

They'd wasted no time in finding a cab, giggling like morons in their buzzed state; somehow they'd made it to their bedroom in one piece, and Beckett indeed showed off the emerald green silk and satin for him. They'd been so hot for each other, Beckett now remembered, that they hadn't bothered with the condom. Hell, they hadn't even made it to the bed, they'd wound up on the floor wrapped in a blanket as they'd banged each other senseless.

Now it seemed, her uterus was playing the role of the pot of gold at the end of that particular rainbow. Inexplicably the metaphor made her briefly thing the new baby was going to be born in multicoloured stripes, which made the laugh start low in her throat and belly until she was rolling back and forth on the bed, clutching her sides as she howled like a loon.

It was the sight Castle came upon after a quick pit-stop in the can - his pregnant wife laughing like she'd lost her mind as she cavorted over their bed.

'What is so damn funny?'

'Rainbows,' she managed to get out, swiping her fingers at the tears that had leaked down her cheeks. 'Oh, I'm really okay, Richard, just...wow.'

'Yeah, I'd say that about covers it.' Castle plunked himself down on the bed beside her, propped his head in his hand. 'Agnes left a message here at home while we were out, Andrea is bringing RJ home, and they'll be here in about twenty minutes or so.'

'And we get to tell him he's going to be a big brother.'

'Don't remind me, I'm nervous enough to talk to him as it is.'

'Really? I'd have thought you'd relish getting to have a manly heart-to-heart with our son.'

He shook his head in a negative. 'I've never had to do this before.'

'You had the where-do-babies-come-from talk with Alexis, though,' Beckett pointed out.

'Yes, and she was what, twenty-one when RJ was born? She'd been through puberty and gone through body changes in her own right, she'd even...' Castle took a moment to swallow in fatherly squeamishness. 'Lost _it_ when her brother came along. Hell, less than a week after RJ was born, she went on her first date with Shane. Do you remember your parents having that talk with you?'

'No.' Beckett shook her heard. 'I remember the 'no sex until your married' my mother tried to beat into my head when I was fourteen and some of my friends at school were on birth control already.'

'Eep.'

'Eep aside, I think just telling him that babies are made when mamas and daddies love each other very much isn't going to cut it with him. He's such a smart kid, Richard.'

'He gets that from you.'

'And when he turns into a teenaged smart-ass, I'll know for sure he's your son,' she replied, inching forward to give him a kiss. She became so lost in it, in the moment that she was frowning when there was a knock on the door. 'Damn, that'll be them.'

'What happened to being excited to tell him.'

'But we were kissing and enjoying each other.'

'Okay, I'll text Andrea and tell her to take RJ for ice cream or something while we have sex.'

'No!' Beckett laughed, then sat up, pulled on her comfy clothes she'd lain on the end of the bed but hadn't put on just yet - a pair of Thai-fisherman pants and an ancient NYPD fun-run t-shirt. 'No, we'll go and let them in.'

The parents-to-be-again walked downstairs, hand-in-hand and opened the door to find RJ there with his thumbs hooked through the straps of his little back-pack, grinning like a fool.

'Hi Mumum!'

'Hi baby!'

'We susha fun day!' RJ raced in, went to upend the contents of his back-pack in the living room. 'We puh-lay cards and have pop-corn and go to-a park, lossa fun!'

'It sounds like it. Andrea, you want to come in for coffee or something?'

'I can't, I have a date night with my husband tonight,' she replied with a wink. 'We're leaving Nessa with her nana so we can have the house to ourselves for the night.'

'Ah, I understand completely. You're still in for girls' night on the twenty-fifth?'

'Of course. Bye.'

Andrea left for the elevator and when Beckett closed the door, the quiet _click_ of the mechanism catching sounded like a gunshot in Castle's mind. He gave his wife a look and at her nod, they went into the living room, sat down together on the couch, creating a space between them for RJ to sit.

'Hey, big guy, come sit with us for a moment,' she requested in a hushed but eager voice; she had to keep her voice low so she wouldn't burst into overjoyed tears at the sight of her son, her precious baby boy and know by Valentine's day there would be another little life that would look to her for all the answers in the universe.

'Okay, Mumum.' Ever a bubbly and happy soul, RJ climbed up between his parents, looked from one to the other. Immediately he could sense something was up. 'Wassa madda?'

'Nothing's wrong, RJ, in fact, Mumum and Daddy have something very exciting to tell you,' Castle reassured his boy.

'Less be-a mumum?'

'No, Alexis isn't going to be a mama just yet.' The boy's comment had the tension breaking for Beckett and she scooped RJ into her lap. 'But...I am going to be a mama again. We are having another baby.'

'You peg-ant, Mumum?'

Castle blinked at the use of the word from the toddler. 'Where did you learn that word, my son?'

'An-dee-ah teach me. It mean haffa baby.'

'That it does,' Beckett confirmed, then grinned foolishly once again when RJ wrapped his arms around her body. 'You cool with this, bro?'

'Uh-huh. It gonna be fun.'

'What do you think would be more fun, a boy or girl?'

'Boy,' RJ stated firmly. 'Have Alessis al-ready. She bes' sisser ever.'

'And what if I have a little girl growing in my belly?'

'She bes' too. Learn f'om Alessis.' RJ reached out his hand, patted Beckett's belly. 'Hi-hi, I RJ, I you' bo. We have lossa fun 'gedder.'

Castle smiled at the tender family moment, then wrinkled his brow in confusion. 'RJ, you haven't asked us how the baby got inside your mama.'

'Oh, it 'kay, Daddy. I know.'

'You do.'

'Uh-huh. Dell an' Tessi tell me.'

'And what did they tell you,' Beckett asked, curious to hear his interpretation of how babies were made.

'Mumum an' daddy say 'love you' lossa. They hug an' moosh lossa and it make a baby.'

'That's pretty darn close,' Castle agreed, glad to have this responsibility taken off of his hands. 'Did they say anything else?'

'Haffa be in bed for mooshin' to work.' RJ looked up at his parents, his hand still on his mother's tummy. 'I gedda tell Alessis? Puh-lease?'


	5. The Breakfast at Home

_Hello all! Man, I cannot believe how much love this story has already gotten! Right now it has the highest review-to-chapter ratio in the Crumbsverse so yea!_

_On a more serious note, I've had some people give me feedback that the baby talk is jarring and needs to stop. This series has the detectives moving into parenthood; at this point in the Crumbsverse the oldest of all the babies is only seven years old, the youngest is three months. They aren't going to be little mutes and then suddenly be quoting Shakespeare, they are learning to find their voice. And trust me, when I write the 2nd Generation stories (or the gen-2's, as I call them), the moments they have as children are extremely important. _

_Okay, that's done, now onto fluffy-bunny cuteness!  
><em>

* * *

><p>The following day, the fates were playing nice with Beckett - it was her day off the roll, and they'd already scheduled a family dinner at the loft, as Alexis was taking a one-night breather before her last exam the following week so there was no need to get everyone together without something blipping on the radar.<p>

As she often was up early with RJ - he was not the night-hawk his daddy was - Beckett treasured her days off when she got to lay in bed for an extra forty minutes or so. Of course, now there was the added perk of morning sickness but hers was surprisingly mild since she was in the end of her first trimester; she remembered that from reading while pregnant with RJ. Would she still be able to use those books, or would she and Castle need all new ones?

Then the thought vanished from her mind when Castle rolled over and gave her a big bear hug around the middle in his sleep. It was one of the best things he did, she mused, like he was unconsciously letting her know that everything would be okay because he was there to support her.

'Hey big man,' she murmured, watching his face lax with sleep and finger-combing the dark-brown hair that fell over his brow. 'You're gonna be a great daddy again.'

Kissing his cheek, Beckett went to slip out of bed so she could go find RJ, but when she tried to sit up, she found Castle's arm tightening its embrace. A happy little hum sounded in her throat when those dark blue eyes slitted open and focused on her face.

'And where are you going, mama?' he asked with a mumbled grin.

'To wake up our son.'

'Why?'

'Because we can't just lay around all day.'

'Au contraire, I think that'd be a lovely thing to do on a day like this.' Waking up now Castle sat up in bed, pointed to the window of their bedroom. 'We're getting that rain we were promised by the weather-people so our lovely plan to go to Central Park and feed the ducks will have to be put on hold for now.'

Beckett wrinkled her nose in disappointment, then turned on her side to face him. 'Richard.'

'Yes, Katherine.'

'We're having another baby,' she whispered loudly with a wide goofy grin.

'Yes we are, my one true love.' But he coudl sense hesitation in her excitement. 'You're worried about announcing it and upsetting Meredeth, aren't you?'

'A little bit. Not that I'm going to let it ruin our happiness, because I'm not,' Beckett reassured him. 'It's just...it'd feel a little bit like gloating you know? Like, you've been trying so hard for the last eight months to have a baby, I wasn't even thinking about it and it happened. Sisters don't treat each other like that.'

'And you know that despite her own upset, Meredeth will be over here baking for you like a Keebler elf.'

'I know, that's why it breaks my heart that I might have to bruise hers.'

The look such a thought put in his wife's beautiful eyes had steel coming into Castle's nerves. 'Tell you what you need, you need a nice, big breakfast. What do mama and baby want?'

'French toast,' Beckett replied with a hesitation. 'With lots of orange juice and fruit on the side.'

'Coming up.'

'I'll help you,' she started, but Castle shook his head.

'Let your chefs take care of you.'

He kissed her cheek, then slipping out of bed he made for RJ's room, where sure enough his son was sitting up in his big-boy bed and babbling to Omeo. Intrigued by what he heard Castle leaned against the door jamb and watched the little boy.

'It's gonna be diff-ent here, Omeo, we gotta new one comin...I 'till love you, Mumum too...baby gon' be way lit-tle, nee' lossa help...s'right we gonna help Mumum an' Daddy.'

'That's right you guys are,' Castle told him, and RJ grinned widely up at his father.

'Hi Daddy! Washa doin' up now?'

'I thought you might like to help me make your mama breakfast. She wants French toast.'

'Wit' cimmamim sugar an' budda?'

'You know it.'

'O-kay!' RJ tossed back his covers, walked over to hug his father. 'Omeo 'tayin' here, he suh-leepy.'

'Probably a good idea.'

The two Castle men walked down the stairs, the elder helping the younger so he wouldn't hurt himself on the trip down, then found their matching aprons in the pantry cupboard. 'What firs', Daddy?' RJ inquired as Castle began to pull out bowls and utensils.

'First we have to heat the grill and while it's warming up, we'll make the eggs with cinnamon to put on the bread.'

'O-kay. But no goin' oushie ona grill.'

'Deal.'

Castle boosted RJ up on the counter so he could see the goings on - the kid just loved to cook, and had discovered the previous Christmas that he could charm the ladies, or one particular lady, with baked goods. Since then, he'd become quite the kitchen-keener, always wanting to know how things were prepared and cooked.

'It 'mell yummy, Daddy,' he commented as Castle added nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar to the fork-beaten eggs; RJ loved doing that one, the noises they made as they were stirred up. 'We have bacon too?'

'No, no bacon this morning.'

'Shane comin'?'

Castle laughed at that one - aside from cooking, RJ was very interested in learning about his future brother-in-law's traditions. Phrasing it like that had Castle pausing a moment to think about the very unique family situation RJ found himself in. He would be three in December, and would not only have a new little brother or sister after that but he would also be brother-in-law to a man old enough to be his father. The notion of it had the writer fighting a weirded-out shudder and instead focused on the idea that Alexis and Shane's babies would be more like cousins or even little brothers and-or sisters to RJ and the new one.

Refocusing his attention on RJ's question, Castle looked at him and shook his head. 'Shane had to work overnights last night, little bro.'

'I nodda lit-tle buh-ro, Daddy! I firs', I am big buh-ro!'

'Sorry, sorry, my mistake.'

'Silly Daddy.' RJ rolled his eyes as best as a two-and-a-half year old could, then grinned up at Beckett who had joined them in the kitchen. 'Mumum! Mor-nin' Mumum! How you and baby to-day?'

'We're doing pretty well, RJ, but we'll be better when we have breakfast.'

'Daddy, lemme down.'

'Okay.' Confused, as RJ always loved dipping the bread in the eggs, Castle put the little guy on his feet on the floor; immediately the toddler zeroed in on the fridge, and began mumbling. 'RJ, what are you looking for?'

'Milk, Daddy.'

'It's up here. You want a glass?'

'Two, puh-lease, Daddy.'

Beckett smiled as she sat down, watched her hubby with their son. They were quite the pair, and so much like each other it was frightening. Then her heart melted when RJ brought one of the cups of milk Castle had poured over to her. 'What's this for, RJ?' she asked him.

'Mumum, baby nee' milk. An-dee-uh say so.'

'Oh, RJ.' Beckett's eyes filled up with tears and RJ felt a surge of panic.

'No tears, Mumum, I bein' nice!'

'I know my little prince.' She scooped RJ up into her lap while she reaching for a napkin. 'Sometimes, though, when people are so touched in their hearts by something nice someone does for them, it makes them cry a little bit. These are happy tears.'

'Nuh-uh,' RJ shook his head. 'No happy tears, no sad tears. No tears.'

'Okay, RJ, I'll try.'

'Now go sippy-sip.'

His humour had the tears drying up in Beckett's eyes as quickly as they'd appeared and she held the glass to her lips. Beckett had never been much of a milk drinker, even as a child herself , but she wouldn't disappoint her little man who watched her with his father's hopeful blue eyes. 'Mmm, that is good,' she told him dutifully. 'Does it come with French toast and fruit?'

'Uh-huh, Daddy an' me makin'.'

'Then this baby is going to be pretty spoiled having a big brother who is such a great chef.'

'Whadda 'shif' Mumum?'

'That's a fancy word for a cook.'

RJ perked up at this idea. 'I you' big shif?'

'You are my big chef indeed.'

'That coo'.' He leaned over and gave Beckett's tummy a little rub and a kiss. 'Hi baby, I RJ, I big buh-ro an' shif. You mun-shy?'

As Beckett's stomach gurgled noisily, the detective grinned. 'Baby is mos-def hungry, RJ.'

'O-kay, finch-toas' comin' soon!'

She grinned as RJ wandered back over to help his daddy and gave a little shiver of excitement. If they had a little girl, that would be fine with her, she mused, because they already had the most adorable and hilarious son in the world.


	6. The Family Reveal

The day that passed was one of the longest of Beckett's life, as she had nothing more she wanted to do that day than tell her father, daughter, future son-in-law and her mother-in-law there was another baby on the way. However, RJ kept her plenty entertained until their seven pm reservation at Mezzaluna for endless-pasta, watching her like a hawk and even 'paddisin' to be a big brother by schooling the ever faithful Omeo on good manners around a pregnant lady.

'Omeo, gotta be kite a-roun' baby,' he'd shushed the stuffed rabbit when Beckett was reading on the couch with a glass of iced tea. 'Baby needa nap.'

'So does RJ,' Castle murmured as he worked on chapter twenty-three on his laptop, watching his two, well _three_, favourite people in the world. 'So Mumum and Daddy can have a nice not-so-quiet nap.'

'Mumum, you nee' mo' milk?'

'No, sweetie, I've got it covered. I'm having iced tea right now.'

'No' goo' fo' baby, Mumum. It daffy-na-ted.'

'Okay.' Beckett bookmarked her page, swung her feet to the floor so she could face her son more fully. 'RJ, where are you getting all this information on babies from?'

'Ev-ee-one, Mumum. Dell an' Tessi an' Daddy an' An-dee-ah. She 'mart. She make babies bedda.'

'That she does. Listen, RJ-'

'Yes Mumum.' The little boy gave her his undivided attention like she was giving him a ticket to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

'Tonight when we see your grams and poppy and Alexis and Shane, we aren't saying anything right away, we want it to be a surprise for them.'

'I gedda tell'em?'

'Yeah, buddy, but we have to wait for the right time, so they will be super-surprised,' Castle told his son.

'Oh. Like suh-pise bir-day?'

'Exactly like that.'

'Daddy?'

'Yes RJ.'

'When it time to go? I wanna tell ev-ee-one.'

Beckett laughed; as she heard the eagerness in RJ's voice. 'Soon, my little prince, soon. Right now it's nap time.'

'Okay.' As if on cue, RJ let out a monster yawn, smacked his lips together. 'Mumum, I 'nuggle wit' you an' baby?'

'Sure honey. We'll go upstairs, though, more room for each of us.'

Taking her book upstairs along with her drink, Beckett watched RJ clench the banister with a death grip; when they made it to her bedroom RJ climbed up on the bed and flopped backwards in the middle, arranged Omeo in the blankets.

'Sssh, Mumum, Omeo suh-noozin' too.'

'Good idea.' Beckett stretched out on her side, then fought the catch in her throat as RJ nestled close to her and put his little hand on her belly.

'Nap time, baby, be nice-a Mumum.'

'I love you RJ.'

'Love you too, Mumum. And love baby.'

* * *

><p>By seven, Castle wasn't sure who was more excited, RJ or Beckett or himself. He remembered very well the look on Beckett's face when she'd told her father they were having RJ - it had been by phone so this time was going to have a much different flavour.<p>

When they were seated in their booth at Mezzaluna, Castle turned to RJ, spoke in his public-places voice. 'Now remember what we talked about?'

'No suh-pillin' baby-beans.'

'Right, when do we get to say so?'

'Mumum give-a sin-nil.'

'Right again, your mama will give you the signal.'

RJ grinned, scrunched up his cheek in a wink. 'What we gonna ea'?'

Before either of his parents could respond, they heard the very tired 'Hi you guys' and RJ did a giddy little wiggle in his booster seat.

'Alessis! Shane! Hi-hi!'

Alexis' smile was warm even though she looked like she'd walked back from New Jersey. It was most definitely noticeable that she was literally leanign on Shane as they came to the booth. She leaned over, gave her brother a kiss on the cheek, then her parents each a hug. 'Have you been here long?'

'Just sat down about five minutes ago. We haven't even gotten water for the table yet.'

'We eaten' soon? I'm hun-gah-ry' RJ said, and Alexis gave him a high-five.

'Me too, little bro.'

RJ nearly opened his mouth to say he was going to be a big bro too, but he remembered his promise to his mother and father and clamped his little lips together to keep the words from escaping. Instead he reached for the little cup of crayons on the table and began to draw the traditional grid of tic-tac-toe. 'Alessis, you wanna puh-lay?'

'Actually, honey, I need to use the bathroom to freshen up a little bit.'

'I'll play with you RJ,' Shane offered as Alexis slipped out of the booth beside him. 'You want to be purple or green?'

'Guh-reen, puh-lease.'

Beckett watched them together, the doctor her daughter loved and the little boy who tried and occasionally succeeded in giving the older man righteous crap about making sure Alexis was treated right; there had been more than one time when the tyke had succeeded. She wondered if RJ knew his personal standards for Shane would be lessons he would teach to a younger brother, or if Shane was merely the dress rehearsal for a little sister who would need to have his okay on her boyfriends.

When Shane looked up at Beckett, he caught the pensive look in her eyes and felt a little punch, wondered if his keen medical sensibilities were on the money.

'You're looking awfully...relaxed, Detective,' he started to comment, then shut up when Alexis returned, looking marginally refreshed after some cold water to the face and a layer of lip gloss.

'I hope Grams and Poppy get here soon, I could eat a whole truckload of cannelloni,' she groaned good-naturedly.

'Alessis, godda eat veggies a-fore dessert.'

'No, sweetie, that's cannoli. _Cannelloni_ is round pasta filled up with cheese and meat and covered in sauce.'

'That soun' yummy too.'

Beneath the table, Beckett gave Castle's hand a squeeze; the ability to hold back was getting weaker and weaker. To distract herself, she opened her menu for the endless-pasta and found herself getting very gurgly in the tummy. The baby was hungry and craving something with meat and cheese, but more importantly, something with bread so Beckett decided she would have the chicken parmigiana sandwich with endless spaghetti bolognaise on the side.

She was so engrossed in her decision that she didn't register someone beside her until she heard the unmistakeable sound of her father clearing his throat. Glancing up Beckett offered him a great big smile, rose to give him a hug. 'Hi Dad.'

'How are you, Katie-Lou?' Jim Beckett held her close, patting her back.

'Hungry.'

'I hope we haven't kept you waiting long,' Martha added, making her appearance by Jim's elbow, giving hugs and kisses all around before sliding into the large booth beside her daughter-in-law. 'Jim called the loft just as I was dropping off my little surprise for Alexis and Shane and said he was on his way over, so I waited for him and we shared a cab.'

'Now we eat?' RJ asked impatiently and Beckett nodded.

'Now we'll ask for something to eat.'

The waiter was flagged down and they placed their orders; once their drinks had arrived, Alexis looked around the table and asked, 'So what has everyone been up to since I saw you all back in May?'

As segue-ways went, it was hard to top that. Beckett gave Castle's hand another little squeeze under the table and grinned at RJ. 'Pretty much the same, but I think RJ has some news to share, don'tcha big guy?'

'Uh-huh, Mumum, I so 'cited fo' sharin!' RJ grinned just like his daddy as the other eyes around the table focused on him. 'I gonna be a big buh-ro!'

'What!' Alexis' eyes went big and round like blue marbles as she looked at her parents. 'Mom? Dad? Seriously?'

'Seriously.'

'Congratulations you guys!' Shane reached over, slapped palms with Castle. 'Didn't even know you were thinking about another one.'

'Well, we kinda only decided about two weeks ago to try for another one and when I went to go for a check-up with Harvey to make sure everything was green-light, he did his exam-thing and it turns out I'm already eleven weeks gone,' Beckett explained with a mile-wide smile. She looked over at her father, whose eyes were brimming with tears. 'Oh, Daddy, it's okay.'

'I'm fine, really,' he reassured her, dabbing at his nose with his napkin. 'You're gonna be a great mother again, Kate.'

'She gonna have a boy,' RJ added for good measure.

'Do you know that already?' Martha asked, grinning like madness at the knowledge of grand-baby number three. 'You know already it's a boy?'

'No, that's RJ's wishful thinking, Mother,' Castle laughed. 'He wants another guy around the house.'

'No, Daddy tha' no' why.'

'I'm sorry, RJ, why do you want a brother.'

RJ leaned over, gave Alexis a hug. 'Alessis bes' sisser ever. No need 'nudder one.'


	7. The Good Stuff

'Alexis?'

'Yeah, Mom?'

Beckett studied the pretty redhead as they waited outside for the Castle and Shane bring their beloved Lincoln and rental car around to the front of the restaurant. Martha and Jim had already split a cab back to their own apartments, and Beckett was thankful to have the time just her and her number-one girl. She'd been quiet through dinner and while Beckett knew she was tired from her exams and studying, her womanly intuition told her there something else was there.

'Are you okay with this?'

'Oh, of course, I am so happy for you and Dad, just...don't forget about me, okay?'

Beckett gave a sigh of understanding. 'It's because of what my dad said isn't it?'

'A little bit, yeah, I thought by now he'd think of me as his own by now, that's all.'

Alexis studied her fingernails as she replayed the moment from that night when Jim Beckett had said he was thrilled at the idea of a granddaughter this time around. She knew it was because of the lack of sleep that it cut a little deeper than it normally would have but it still didn't diminish the hurt she felt.

Beckett understood it too, so she wrapped a motherly arm around the young woman's shoulders.

'Don't take it personally, Alexis. He's been a little bit off lately, thinking about my mother. They were married June twenty-fourth, and the whole month he turns into a big ball of miserable memories.'

'Oh. So it's nothing I did or didn't do,' she asked, and Beckett shook her head.

'It's a funny kind of hubris, isn't it? To always assume a comment directed at us is because of us. You know who used to do that a lot?'

'Who?'

'Andrea Brick. She's not as bad as she once, but I know she's still fighting that demon every so often. Besides, there's something to cheer you up.'

Beckett jutted her chin towards the curb where the Lincoln and the rental car zoomed to a halt. Shane stepped out of the driver's side and the wind teased his hair, sending the scent of his soap towards them, and beside her, she heard Alexis' lusty sigh with the murmured 'oh yeah, baby', which had the pregnant woman chuckling.

'Looks I'm not the only Castle woman getting lucky tonight,' Beckett snickered in a low voice.

'Damn right.'

'Your chariot awaits, my sweet.' Shane took Alexis' hand in his, then grinned at Beckett. 'We'll talk to you in the morning, Kate.'

'Night you guys.'

Beckett watched Shane hold open Alexis' door for her, the way the tips of his fingers brushed the small of her back and turning to look at her husband, who was also holding open the door to the Lincoln for her. The wink he gave her had heat blossoming in her chest like an exotic flower and realized she'd spoken nothing but the honest truth to her daughter.

She managed to keep it together until they were back in the loft, putting RJ into bed with Omeo; the kid was down for the count, as he always was after a feed of spaghetti and meatballs. Then, when they were alone in their room, Beckett pounced.

Castle knew from the look his wife had given him at the curbside of the restaurant that this was how the night was going to end - with a bang - but it still didn't have him prepared for when and where it would happen. Now, with his arms and lips full of his very happy bride, he gave a little muffled chuckle as her mouth crushed his.

'Easy, tiger,' he murmured to her. 'We're in no rush.'

'I know, but...oh, Richard, I don't want to say this and ruin the mood.'

Her tone had him arching an eyebrow. 'See, you say things like that and the mood isn't ruined, it's just put on hold. What's on your mind, lovely?'

'I- it's Alexis, well, not so much Alexis as my dad.'

'You're thinking about what he said at dinner.' Castle nodded when he saw the truth of it in her eyes. 'Yeah, I caught that one too.'

'It's just not like him.'

'Do you think he's drinking again?'

'No, he's worked way too hard to stay sober. I just saw his sponsor a few days ago, said my dad was doing really well, that he was facing some kind of upset and not talking about wanting a drink.' Beckett combed her fingers through her hair. 'I told Alexis not to worry about it, that he's always moody near his anniversary with my mother, but this is different, this is...well, it's almost like when Alexis and Shane first started dating,' she realized aloud as the puzzle pieces began to come together.

'You think he's got a girlfriend?'

'No, but there's something up with him.'

'And knowing you, you'll suss it out of him at the right time.' Castle walked his fingers up the front of her blouse to the top button which he slid through the hole. 'Still feel like the mood's ruined?'

'Mm-mm. Not with these hormones starting to kick in,' she replied and yanking on his shirt front, pulled him down for a hot, hard kiss.

Her lips were heaven, Castle thought as he steered them towards the bed, gently tumbling Beckett backwards so that she was underneath him, long and lovely and full of life, literally. He positioned himself carefully above her, lip fastened to hers as their hands busied themselves stripping off shirts and belts and bras until they were down to their underwear. Running a hand over the fluid curve of her stomach he traced little patterns that had her shivering, making her nipples hardened to little diamond-like peaks in the middle of her beautiful breasts.

'What is it my Katie wants tonight,' he murmured to her, laying his hands on her breasts to massage and tease. His thumbs gave those rock-hard tips a butterfly-light brush, ripping a moan from her lips. 'What is she needing?'

'You. Always just you, Rich.'

Her lips curved into a gleeful, anticipatory grin as he put his hands on her hips, pulled her tight against him. Her skin felt so sensitive, like every nerve ending was awake and alive and set afire as her husband used those amazing hands of his to make her whimper and sigh. She lifted her arms above her head, arched her back as he lowered his mouth to her body, flicking his tongue over her in short little bursts; each one had her gasping in delight.

Then he was moving down her body, his kisses hot and lingering with the rough rasp of his tongue making her shiver until he hovered above her honeypot. Beckett's eyes slammed shut in reflex, her hands running through his hair as he pleasured her, every bump and ridge of his lips creating dark and delicious friction.

'Don't stop, Rich, for god-sakes, don't stop,' she pleaded in a breathy moan, then let out a yell of utter pleasure when he parted her lips and drove the spear of his tongue inside her. The action had her torso lifting off the bed as she cried out his name. 'Rich!'

'Katie, shh, you'll...' Castle trailed off, lifting his head to look at her face and he knew she was lost to everything except what she could feel. 'Okay, my love, just give me a moment.'

The sounds she'd made had hardened him so that when he moved up her body, he kept his grip on her hands and sank inside her. Because he sensed she needed it hot and maybe just a little rough tonight Castle braced his hands on her thighs with enough pressure to keep them apart as he moved inside her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his kissed her noisily, hips pistoning against hers until he heard her moan in his ear she was coming, and Castle followed her into oblivion.

Wrapped together and tangled in the sheets on the bed, they lay twined for what seemed like an eternity; Beckett stroked her palms up and down her husband's back as she tried to get her brain back in working order.

'How do you do that?' she mumbled with a lazy satisfied tone in her voice.

'Biology, my love, with a little bit of genetics and years of practice,' he replied, knowing his smart-ass response would make her laugh. When he felt the vibrations of her giggling in her chest Castle turned his head so he could look at her. 'But mostly, Iknow how to do that because I love you. Oh, Jesus, Kate, I'm sorry, was I too rough with you?'

'Not at all, it just perfect,' Beckett replied as the tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. 'Hormones, remember?'

'Kinda hard to forget. The night you seduced me at my desk chair when you were pregnant with RJ is springing to mind.'

'That was a fun night. Hey, you know something?'

'What?'

'I love you.'

'I love you too.'

Beckett craned her neck forward to kiss him, then laughed when her stomach gurgled. 'Man, I could use a snack about now.'

'Seriously, you ate, like, you own body weight in cheesy bread and chicken farfalle at the restaurant.'

'And now I want a sandwich. You think Gennaro's is still open?'


	8. The Uncertainty

Beckett stood in front of her murder board with a cup of decaf coffee loaded with skim milk. The bitter taste of it was what woke her up these days, since she didn't have the caffeine kick anymore for awhile. And of course, since her body was burning through the calories like a brush-fire, it meant just an hour and a half after she'd eaten a scrambled-egg burrito courtesy of Castle and RJ, she was hungry again.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out an apple, one of her favourite pregnancy foods, and crunched away as she tried to make the link between William Denato and Alfonzo Sammon and why someone would want them both dead with their hearts punctured by rusty railroad spikes.

'They had no overlapping charges to stores or websites, Denato was married with two young children and Sammon's kid was living in Boston with his mother while going to college. Denato was a laborer for Paulson Hardware and Sammon was a professor of biology at SUNY. What did they get themselves into?' Before she could stop herself, she said, 'What do you think, baby?'

'Baby?'

Beckett's head whipped around and she saw Ryan and Esposito standing there, looking curious about her word choice. 'What?'

'You said, what do you think baby, which makes me think...' Esposito gave her the up-down once over. 'You got a little Castle in you, literally.'

'How 'bout it, Kate?' Ryan was all grins. 'RJ gonna be a big bro?'

'January fifth.'

'Oh, that's amazing girl. Congrats.' Despite the sick punch he felt in his gut Esposito embraced his friend tightly, gave her a little congratulatory peck on the cheek. 'When did you find out?'

'Two days ago, when we were done lunch after court, we had an appointment with Harvey to make sure everything was good to go to try again and I found out I'm almost eleven weeks pregnant.'

'Eleven weeks?' Ryan squeaked in a helium voice. 'How could you not notice that?'

'Do you want me to get into the science of obstetric medicine?'

'No, no,' he replied hastily with a wave of the hand. 'That's quite okay. You're going to be a great mom again. How's RJ handling it?'

'Are you kidding me? He loves the idea, he's been going to his foremost authorities on the subject of baby care, namely, both your firstborns and Andrea Brick. He was even telling me not to drink tea because it was caffeinated or as he said 'daffy-nated'.'

'That is so cute, how can you stand him?' Esposito laughed.

'He is his father's son.'

Ryan laughed, gave Beckett a hug. He knew them both well and could tell Esposito wanted a moment alone with Beckett, so he patted her shoulder, then his. 'Lattes all around. I'll be back in a moment.'

'He didn't have to do that,' Beckett shook her head, then looked at Esposito, the edges of sadness in his eyes. 'Are you okay with this?'

'Of course, Kate, I'm not going to be a petty bitch. I know Mere and I will have another one when it's right. I do have one question.'

'Sure.'

'Would you be pissed at me if I told Meredeth instead of letting you tell her? I think she might take it better coming from me.'

It hurt, as Beckett knew it would, but there was no easy way to do it. 'I think that's a good idea. It might feel like I'm gloating if I do it, you know?'

'I understand. In the meantime, you feeling okay? Morning sickness, gas, cravings?'

Her stomach gave a gurgle and she laughed. 'I think I'm okay, despite my tummy rumbling, but having a couple pints of ice cream in the freezer in the break-room fridge couldn't hurt.'

'You got it. Anything to avoid?'

'Cappucino or mint. They're both yucky.'

'Yucky?' Esposito had to fight the laugh. 'Really Detective?'

'Shut up, I heard it too. Why don't we get back to a double homicide instead?'

* * *

><p>By Saturday afternoon, when they were on their way to the Parrish-Robbins apartment for Carey, Beckett had never felt more upside down and inside out in her life. In some ways she was even more flustered-feeling than when she'd been pregnant the first time, but it was mostly timing right now.<p>

Friday had been her birthday and it had been a great day, the guys had given her chocolate-bar ice-cream cake at the precinct, and her own family had made her homemade Chinese food for her birthday dinner; she hadn't worried about the lack of Alexis at the dinner, as the girl had spent an hour and a half with her on the phone during her dinner break between study sessions and they would be having a big all-in-one party in July for the holiday weekend, her and Castle's anniversary and her birthday. Castle had given her a beautiful pair of earrings - her favourite jewelery to wear to work, as it was the least likely to cause her problems as a cop working the streets - and RJ had given her a necklace to match it.

Then she and Castle had made love that night, and everything seemed perfectly rosy when she'd gone to bed; when she'd woken up, it hit her like a tonne of bricks that she would be seeing Meredeth there, along with Lanie who had a brand-spanking new three-month-old baby. The idea that her friend - her sister - would be around them when she wanted to be a mother so badly one more time had made Beckett slip into the ensuite and weep silently as she'd run the water for the shower.

Now, standing on Lanie and Dave's doorstep with RJ and Castle and the gift bag in hand, Beckett tried to fight the butterflies as best as she could.

'Relax, Kate,' Castle murmured to her, recognizing the signs of his wife's anxiety. 'It'll work out, it'll be fine.'

He knocked on the door and Lanie answered it, three-month-old Finn on her hip. Her smile was wide and welcoming, but when she spoke, Beckett heard the nerves there.

'Hi, you guys, come on in.'

'Hi-hi, Lanie, hi-hi Finn! He geddin' big!' RJ exclaimed, reaching out his hand to pat the little boy's leg. 'Mumum gonna have baby soon too! You be buddies, I know!'

'Thanks RJ,' Lanie replied. 'Carey's in the living room, and I do believe your young lady is with them.'

'Who?'

'Trini.'

'Yea!'

RJ scampered off, bellowing to the room he was here and wanted to see his Trini while Beckett and Castle stepped inside, slipped off their shoes. 'Is there a lot of people here yet?' Castle asked casually.

'You're one of the last to arrive, I think.' Lanie paused, frowned a little. 'The Espositos got here about fifteen minutes ago.'

'How's Meredeth?' Beckett asked immediately, and she saw the sadness in her friend's eyes.

'She's trying so hard not to show it, but she's really upset and angry with herself.'

'Where is she?'

'The kitchen, with Honey-Milk and Lili.'

Beckett wandered over and greeted them with a grin, trying for it to be as neutral as possible. 'Hey guys. How's it going?'

'Not as well, as you from the look of that grin,' Honey-Milk said; she too recognized the grin. 'I take it you're day is going well so far?'

'_Our_ day is just dandy.' Beckett patted her still-flat stomach. 'Not a drop of morning sickness yet. Four in a row, in fact.'

'Eeeee!' Lili's squeal of delight could have shattered concrete. 'Oh yea Katie! Yea for babies! When?'

'Next January, just after New Years.'

'Oh, congratulations girl,' Meredeth said in a light voice, but Beckett knew her too well; she could tell Meredeth was on the verge of losing it entirely. 'You are going to be a great mom again.'

'Hey, how did you tell RJ?' Honey-Milk asked eagerly. 'I bet he's just thrilled.'

'Oh, can we hold onto that story?' Meredeth feigned a squirm, though not by much. 'I just guzzled down a huge thing of punch and need the bathroom something fierce.'

'Go in Lanie and Dave's bedroom,' Beckett suggested, 'they've been saving the main one for all the kids.'

'Got it.'

They all watched her go, and then looked at each other. The misery on Lili and Honey-Milk's faces matched the sickness in Beckett's heart, and they knew right then and there they had to do something.

So they did what sisters did best - cornered Meredeth and waited her out.

Castle had seen his bride disappear into Lanie and Dave's bedroom, and shook his head as he sipped a soft-drink while sitting with Dave. 'They are so worried about Meredeth.'

'We all are, her and Javi,' Dave agreed. 'But I hope they can cheer her up enough to enjoy today.'

'It's why we didn't make a huge announcement about Kate being pregnant again, we want to be considerate of our friends.'

'And that right there is exactly why you guys make such a good team as parents.' Dave gave him a slap on the shoulder. 'You'll work it out, don't worry.'


	9. The Comforting

Before the cake was cut, Beckett and the ladies had some business to tend to - getting Meredeth to smile, however impossible a task it seemed to be. She leaned against the bureau, unable to sit as she waited for a response while Lili knocked on the door and called out gently, 'Mere?'

When there was no response, Honey-Milk tried herself. 'Mere, honey?'

'I'm fine, just a little upset stomach. I think I drank that punch too fast, too much sugar all at once,' was the watery response from behind the closed door; it had all them rolling their eyes, and Beckett's impatient voice snapping out.

'Bullshit, sugar, get your Danish ass out here.'

'Yeah, and make it snappy, Javier's getting worried about you too,' Lanie added.

'Really I'm fine.'

The door opened and the moment she saw her friend, Beckett wanted to gather her close and weep with her. She looked a total wreck and trying not to somehow made it even sadder. Knowing what she had to do, despite how excited she was for her own baby, Beckett crossed to her friend.

'Sweetie, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize...' She trailed off as she came over and wrapped her arms around her friend, stroked her hair. 'I didn't realize things were so bad for you.'

'No, no.' Meredeth shoved Beckett away, swiped at her eyes as she stared at their hostess. 'This is your son's birthday, Lanie, I can't ruin it like this...I need to get out of here.'

Meredeth turned for the door, but Honey-Milk was quicker and bodily blocked it. 'The fuck we are letting you out of here when you look like that. What, you think that we're going to brush off your troubles just because the timing is inconvenient?'

'It's nothing, I'm handling it-'

'By shutting us out?' Now Lanie got her shots in. 'There's always time for another party, Mere, but you are hurting now. And we want to fix that.'

'There is no way to fix it.' Meredeth sighed heavily, slumped against the closed door. 'I can't have any more babies, and we wanted a fourth so badly, so now...now I'll have put Javi through hell being such a bitch about it, and it's all in vain.'

'Yo, Susan Lucci, dial it down.' Lili the soaps-fan tried for dry sarcasm, but even that did nothing to penetrate the dense, unhappy fog surrounding her sister-in-law. 'Now what's all this about no more babies? You can't get pregnant anymore?'

'Looks like that's the case.'

'But the doctor would have told you, right?' Honey-Milk looked aghast that Harvey would let such an important test slip past his care. 'Harvey would tell you that on your appointment?'

'He said there is no medical reason for me and Javi not to conceive another three children if we wanted,' Meredeth said hollowly. 'And my last physical, before we started trying again last year, had nothing funny turn up. So it's something they missed, something they didn't check right or not enough.'

'Maybe it's the stress you're not pregnant yet that's affecting you, Mere,' Beckett pointed out. 'A lot of these things depend on your mental state and worrying about it would not work in your favour.'

'Kate no offense, but you weren't even trying with your husband and it happened.'

'Exactly. You need to calm...relax about it,' she replied, remembering how up in arms Meredeth always got when she was told to calm down, even though she felt the slap of her friend's words like a backhand across the face. 'You and Javi will have another baby, I can feel it.'

'Maybe you'll get another double-barrel like Leo and Trini,' Lili added with a smile, then felt her heart crumble to dust when Meredeth shuddered, and the tears started up again.

All of them looked at each other, with no idea what to do, they hadn't even seen Meredeth this shattered when her husband had been shot or when her grandmother died. For a moment, Lanie wondered if it was possible that her girl was already pregnant and this was simply her hormones acting like a crazy bitch.

'I don't want to do this,' Meredeth whispered through her tears, 'I don't. I want to be happy and enjoy the cake and the presents and the party for Carey, Lanie, but...fuck I am so selfish. I'm going to get some fresh air.'

'Mere,' Lili started, but Meredeth was already turning on her heel and staring down Honey-Milk.

'Jennifer Agatha, you have four seconds to move.'

Realizing it wasn't her day to win the battle, Honey-Milk stepped aside and let her go; they heard the front door open and shut a few minutes later. The women all stayed in the room together for a little bit, just looking at each other.

'God, what can we do to help her?' Lili asked, chewing her thumbnail.

'I don't think there is anything,' Lanie said softly. 'Mere's just going to have to ride it out.'

'That sucks out loud,' Honey-Milk complained. 'We're a detective, a doctor, a nurse, and an accountant. We're problem solvers and we're all mothers multiple times. We have to figure out a way to fix this.'

'Let me do it,' Beckett offered, and all eyes turned to her. 'It's me she's upset with, well, I think it's mostly herself and I'm a handy target.'

'Are you sure Kate?'

'Yeah, Jenny, I'm sure. Just trust me. Lanie, I'll be back in time for cake and I'll be back with Meredeth in hand.'

The others nodded, and Beckett took out her cellphone as she left the room to text Meredeth a quick message - _mere-bear it's katie-lou, where are you lady?_

'Hey, where'd Meredeth go?' Castle came up to his wife; he'd seen the majority of the women disappear only to have Meredeth actually leave the apartment entirely.

'Hold on.' Beckett checked the incoming message on her phone and put her fingers to her lips as she read the text - _down the street at the park. come sit by me. xo Mere_. 'Javi?'

'Yo.' Esposito stepped a little closer, having followed Castle over. 'You going to find Mere?'

'Yeah. I know where she is and I know you want to be her hero, Javi. You _are _her superhero,' she corrected herself, 'but right now, going through what she is going through, she needs a woman's ear. Then she'll need her man's embrace.'

'Well said,' Castle murmured. 'We'll see you both soon.'

Beckett gave him a kiss and set off, trying to think of what she might say to her friend as she headed towards the small parkette. She stopped just a few feet back from the lone bench where she saw Meredeth with her head in her hand.

'This seat taken?' she asked gently, and Meredeth looked up, gave a sighing little laugh.

'Go ahead.'

She sat down, and said nothing, just picked up her friend's hand and held it tightly as they looked at the garden of blossoms. 'Mere, you will get through this,' Beckett promised her friend. 'It may not seem like it, but you will. Believe me, I know what that feels like.'

'I'm not thinking my lack of pregnancy is like your mother getting shot.'

'I was thinking more about Alexis' miscarriage.' She paused a moment. 'And my own.'

'You?' Meredeth turned to look at the pretty detective. 'You had one too?'

'Mm-hmm. After my mom died, I went a little nuts when I went back to school. I was out drinking and partying, telling myself I should focus on feeling alive. I was dating a real party-boy and I got pregnant. I never told my dad, because two days after I took the EPT test, I started bleeding out and I knew it was a miscarriage.'

'Kate.' Now Meredeth put her free hand over their joined ones. 'I can't even imagine what that must have felt like.'

'It was a wake-up call to me, more than anything.'

'What did Rick say when you told him?'

'That he understood it was part of my past, just like the fact that he's been married twice but the key was to let my past be part of me, not all of me.'

'Wise man,' Meredeth commented.

'The point being, Mere, I felt like I'd hit bottom and let down people I loved when everyone was telling me how strong and brave I was, I was so sick of it, I just wanted to escape and have control of myself again. And I got through it, and look at me now.'

Meredeth sighed and nodded a little. 'I'm so scared, Katie. What if it's something else, something like...like cancer that means I can't get pregnant? I've been feeling off and weird in my body lately.'

'Go to the doctor's, get some tests done, then.'

'I'm going Tuesday afternoon.'

'Then good or bad, you'll have your answer. And if it's good, we'll celebrate. If it's bad, we'll support you until we have reason to celebrate.'

Meredeth chuckled a little, then laid her head on Beckett's shoulder. 'Oh, you really are going to make a good mom again.'


	10. The Bros Morning: 12 Weeks

_Hello all, can I just say how much I love you guys for all the amazing things you've said about this fic! It warms my heart to think that after 20 stories you are still amazing fans, but wait - you're Castle fans, that just proves you rock! Okay so this chapter is total and utter cotton-candy fluffy-bunny treats, but I like doing that after having the two serious Meredeth-baby related chapters, so enjoy! And if you get cavities, tell your dentist it's all my fault!_

* * *

><p>'Mumum, you be ex-a cay-fo. Baby no goin' bump.'<p>

'Yes, my little prince.'

'Mumum, you duh-rink you' milk?'

'Yes, RJ,' Beckett laughed. Her little man was sitting on the end of her bed, watching her hook her weapon harness and hand-cuffs to her belt. And apparently, giving her absolute crap over being cautious, just like his father. 'Daddy made me oatmeal for breakfast with fruit and orange juice for breakfast with a big glass of milk to go with it.'

'Good. Baby nee' milk-a get 'tong.'

'Don't worry, the doctor says I am right on track for growing your little brother or sister.'

'Buh-ro, Mumum, gonna be a boy.' RJ twisted his body back and forth as he held Omeo close. 'Omeo say so.'

'Oh, Omeo said so, did he?'

'Uh-huh. Where Daddy?'

'Daddy is cleaning up the dishes downstairs while I go to work, sweetie.'

'Cashin' baddies. Gonna shakin boots?'

'I'm hoping they will. Alright, gimme a kiss.'

Beckett grinned as RJ climbed to his feet on the bed and put his hands on her shoulders, gave her cheek a noisy peck. 'No 'mudgies, Mumum, you 'till boo-tee-fo.'

'Thanks big guy.'

She set him on the floor on his feet and they went downstairs together, RJ going bump-bump-bump on his bottom down the stairs until he reached the last one, then popped up once more.

'Daddy! Time-a moosh Mumum buh-byes!'

'Okay, one second little guy.' Castle wiped his hands on a sort-of clean towel, gave her a kiss; a quick glance at RJ told him the boy was occupied talking to Omeo so he gave her another one, longer and sweeter. 'More where that came from tonight, my love.'

'Stop it, you're making me all tingly when there's no time to fix it. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

'RJ, I love you,' Beckett added and wasn't surprised when her boy came over and gave her a squeeze around the legs.

'Love Mumum, you bes'! Wash out baddies!'

Castle laughed as Beckett gave them a little wave, then turned to his son once they were alone together. 'Alright, RJ, now that Mumum's gone, we are going to work on her surprise, aren't we?'

'Suh-pise? We gonna do suh-pise?'

'You betcha. We are going to make Mumum some healthy snacks so when she's had a busy day at work, she can come home to a nice nutritious meal for the baby.'

'Thassa very goo' 'dea, Daddy.' RJ's blue eyes were serious and filled with a sweetness. 'Whasha gonna do?'

'We're going to make some soups and things for Mama to take to work or that we can heat up quickly when she is late for dinner.'

'We make 'pit-pea soup?'

'No, that's Shane's specialty.'

'We call 'im?' The little boy's question was full of hope and anticipation. He loved when Shane came for a visit, the doctor always smelled different and made delicious things in the kitchen. 'He come fo-a visit?'

As if by magic, the phone rang and Castle checked the Caller-ID and smiled. 'Looks like he's calling us, big guy, you wanna say hi first?'

'Yea!'

RJ took the phone, pressed the button with the little green phone and said, 'Castle house, RJ 'peakin'.'

'RJ, are you sure that's you? You sound so grown up!'

'Hi Shane! You come here, make 'pit-pea soup?'

Shane chuckled richly on his end of the line. 'Let me talk to your dad first and I'll let you know in a few minutes, okay?'

'Okay, a-min.' RJ thrust the receiver at his father and smiled. 'It fo' you.'

'Thanks big guy. Go put Omeo on the couch, he's too little to cook.' Castle took the receiver, cradled it between his ear and shoulder as he looked through the pantry for supplies like dry macaroni and sauce from a jar. Not exactly Meredeth Esposito's homemade culinary Eden but the gesture of it would be what mattered most. 'What's shake, doc?'

'Not much, I'm just finishing up a night shift, thought I'd pop over with bagels for my future brother-in-law.'

'Any chance of you making soup with us?'

'RJ wants some split pea?'

'A little bit, but I wouldn't mind having some I can put in the freezer for Kate, now that we know she needs to eat for the baby, too.'

'Yeah, I think I can swing that,' Shane agreed. 'I'll see you in an hour or so, sound good?'

'You got it. Take care, man.'

'Wait, wait, let me tell him, or there will be hell to pay.'

Castle handed the phone over to his son. 'Shane needs to speak with you, big man.'

'Shane, you visitin'?' RJ asked with such gleeful hope, had Shane not already agreed, that little three-word plea would have sealed the deal.

'Yeah, I'm visiting. And we'll make soup.'

'Yea!'

* * *

><p>By the time Shane arrived, Castle and RJ had already made three batches of oatmeal cookies - Meredeth's recipe from when Beckett had been pregnant the first time - and a tomato mac-and-cheese for in the freezer. They were just contemplating what should come next as the handsome pathologist walked in the door. In a flash, RJ was off to the races, his little bare feet slapping on the hardwood floor.<p>

'Shane! You here! Soup time!' RJ threw his arms around his big-boy-buddy and offered a heart-melting grin. 'You say hi to Alessis to-day?'

'Yes, I called her on my way here, RJ. She's very busy and very stressed

'She need a cookie.'

The simplicity of RJ's answer had the exhausted Shane laughing in spite of his fatigue. 'That is very likely. She'll be home for the summer soon, though, my main man.

'We lossa suh-wimmin-a do.'

'You're right, we've got lots of swimming to do this summer,' he agreed, then nearly cried when he saw Castle pouring him a coffee. 'Oh, you read my mind, Rick.'

'It's a gift on my mother's side. You need a shower and a lie-down?'

'And it continues.' Shane yawned widely, then went to head for the stairs, but found his pants-leg caught in RJ's grip. 'What's up, dude?'

'It soup time, you puh-romise Shane.'

'I did promise, but I was working overnights last night RJ, and my body says it's nap time right now.'

'You wanna 'nuggle Omeo?'

'That's very generous of you,' he commented as RJ went to retrieve his stuffed bunny off the couch and presented it to Shane like a village hero receiving his knighthood. 'Whatcha think, Omeo, time for a snooze?'

'He say you besha!'

RJ watched Shane go upstairs with Omeo like a mother watching her baby on the first day of school, then turned to his father. 'Daddy?'

'Yes, RJ.'

'Shane nee'a suh-pise too. He work hard, he help dead pee-pills.'

'That he does. What should we make him. Oh wait, let me guess.' Castle held up a hand. 'Cookies?'

'Wow, Daddy tha' 'mazin'!'

Castle laughed; there was certainly nothing wrong with his son's vocabulary. 'And luckily for us, I know just the kind he likes best.'

A few hours later, Shane reappeared from upstairs, freshly showered and a little more refreshed in the face from his two-hour power nap, which despite RJ's insistence that it was time for soup, Castle reminded him he could sleep as long as he needed.

'It's okay, I start my ten-to-eights tomorrow, I need to get back on the daytime clock.'

'Day-time!' RJ clapped his hands together, looked at his father with a goofy grin. 'Daddy, I do-a birdie?'

'What?' Shane looked from Castle to RJ and back. 'What birdie?'

'Alexis got him hooked on BBC's _Walk on the Wild Side_ at Easter and he thinks it's the height of hliarty,' Castle explained.

'Oh! The night-time day-time bird?' Shane began to laugh. 'She showed him that?'

'Wash, wash.' RJ stood in the middle of the kitchen, made a basket-ball hoop with his arms and lifted up his shoulders to his ears while he dipped his head. 'Nigh'time...day-time!'

He popped his little neck up, and repeated the process. 'Nigh'time...day-time...nigh'time...day-time!'

'Alright, you, I think you've had enough sugar this morning. Here ya go.' Castle passed Shane a cup of coffee. 'Long night?'

'No fresh bodies for me since I'm going to Quantico on Thursday for two days, so I was doing paperwork all night and thinking up the kind of questions that only come up around three-thirty in the morning, like why don't fish die when lightning strikes the ocean, or why aren't eyebrows considered facial hair?'

'That is a long night. You want another coffee? Maybe a hit of speed to jump start you?'

'Nah, I'm good, besides, night-time day-time here-' Shane jerked his head at RJ '-and myself have to soup make for the house, right RJ?'

'Righ' Shane!'


	11. The Meredeth Scare

'Hello? Anyone home? Something smells good!'

Beckett stepped through the door, sniffing at the air like a bloodhound. It had been a long day, and she was looking forward to a little downtime with her boys after babysitting the Ry-Sposito monster - Esposito's old partner was taking him out for dinner that night and Ryan was giving him crap over the fact that Victoria had also been the woman Espo lost his virginity to. At least when she went home, if one or both of her men were being idiots there, she could shut them up with kisses; that was out of the question with her fellow detectives.

Wandering into the kitchen, she saw her men in their matching aprons, stirring a pot of something thick, creamy and smelling like very familiar heaven. 'Hey guys.'

'Mumum!' RJ gave her a grin and a wave from his perch on the chair by the counter. 'No huggin' yet, I suh-tirrin' soup!'

'I take it Shane was by for a visit?'

'Oh yes, Mumum! We make lossa tuh-reats! Daddy, lemme down.'

'Lemme down...'

'Puh-lease an' gassy.'

Castle chuckled as he hoisted RJ up under the armpits and lowered him to the floor. 'He's been spending too much time with his girlfriend,' he told Beckett as their son hugged her and patted her belly.

'Hi-hi baby, Mumum goo' today? You hun-gah-ry?'

'Baby is hungry, and before you ask, yes I had my milk today.'

'Goo' shob, Mumum. Here, si-down.' RJ raced to the dining room table, pulled out a chair for his mother and smiled. 'We 'poilin' you an' baby.'

'I'd agreed one hundred percent.'

'An' I no' haffa gil-fin, Daddy,' he added indignantly.

'Really? Then what do I call Trini Esposito?' Castle teased his boy back.

'She my see-hot.'

'Oh, I see.' Beckett sent her husband a look of female understanding. 'She's not his girlfriend, she's his sweetheart. Big difference.'

'Way big diff-ends,' RJ agreed, then turned around. 'Mumum, help, puh-lease?'

Beckett tugged on the strings of RJ's apron, then gave him a hug and kiss that had him squealing. 'How was your day with Daddy?'

'We do lossa today Mumum. Lossa.'

'Anything you care to share?'

'Daddy?'

'It's okay, buddy,' Castle chuckled, 'we can show her now.'

'Okay. 'Mon Mumum. I showa.'

On her feet once more, Beckett let her son tug her to the refrigerator and open the door to the freezer.

'Da-da!'

'Oh, look at this!' Her interest genuine and her energy renewed she smiled at the myriad containers of soups and casseroles. 'Was Meredeth by today?' she teased them, and RJ jammed his little hands on hips.

'We workin' lossa, Mumum! No' Aun-tie Mer-det!'

'I know, sweetie, I'm just teasing you, thank you so much.'

'Now it suppa-time!'

'Yes it is.'

Castle brought the large tureen of soup to the table, complete with cheesy bread and roasted ham on the side; RJ didn't like bits of meat in his soup unless it was chicken noodle and knowing his bride needed the protein, served it up as a separate platter. 'RJ, you want to put your apron back on?'

'No, I fine, Daddy.'

'Okay, then you need a bib.'

'Apuh-ron!' RJ's shook his head. 'Baby wea' bib. I big!'

'Apron it is.'

They settled into their meal, a happy little family with Beckett watching how RJ determinedly lifted and lowered his spoon to his lips. The boy was a notoriously spilly eater, but perhaps being a big brother would help ease that bad habit. Yes, that had to be it, she decided, as she saw only three little splats of split-pea land on his apron instead of the usual second bowl.

'You're doing pretty well, there, RJ,' Castle commented, putting slices of ham on his plate.

'I gonna be big buh-ro, Daddy, haffa set sample.'

'More wit and wisdom from Dell and Tessi?' Beckett asked and wasn't at all surprised when her son nodded.

'Dell an' Tessi 'mart, Mumum. Mo' buh-read puh-lease?'

'Of course and good job asking so nicely.'

'Wan' dessert. We make cookies, Mumum. Yum-yum cookies.'

'RJ, a little secret. Any cookie is yummy,' she replied with a conspiring wink at her son, then laughed when he mimicked the action.

'Tah-rini like ah-mon' cookies. Maybe..maybe we make-em fo' suh-pise?'

'Okay, Romeo,' Castle chuckled. 'We'll see.'

They finished their meal chatting about Beckett's day, which involved interviewing witnesses and suspects alike, along with shaking down a few weasels, all of which had RJ cheering for his mother's awesome work, so that when it was time to tidy up, RJ patted her hand.

'Baby busy-a day, Mumum, you 'lax. Baby wan' milk an' cookies?'

'That sounds delicious RJ.'

Since she wanted to do it for herself and she also wanted to make her son happy, Beckett walked over to the couch by the television and propped her feet up on the table. It felt good to do that; being a cop she was used to long days on her feet but she hadn't remembered terribly well the difference between cop-tired and pregnant-tired. Now she had both to contend with, yet not until everything was done for the day, when she didn't have any pressing matters on her open cases to deal with at home off the clock, did the weight of the fatigue sink in.

Closing her eyes she let her hand drift over her belly, then squinted one eye open as she felt the little shift in weight beside her, the lighthter weight of something soft by the crook of her elbow. RJ had retrieved Omeo and was tucking him in with Beckett, and looking at her with patient eyes.

'You 'noozey, Mumum? You go to bed soon?'

'No, sweetie, I'm not really sleepy, just relaxing. It takes a lot of energy to catch the baddies and grow a baby at the same time.'

'Oh.' RJ processed this little lesson in biology and poked his mother's stomach. 'You puh-lay nice, baby. Mumum workin' har'. Mumum, 'still wan' milk an' cookies?'

'That would be lovely sweetheart, thank you. Hear that, baby,' she murmured, rubbing her belly when RJ had gone to harass Castle for dessert in the kitchen, 'that's your big brother and he loves you so much already.'

Her eyes sank shut once more and she sighed impatiently at the ringing houseline. 'Go far far away,' she sighed. 'Rick, can you get the phone?'

'Yeah. Hey Lili, what- what? Oh, God, oh my god, okay. Okay we'll be right there. No, you keep calling, we'll go.'

Beckett sat up straight at the zero-to-Aida fear in Castle's voice, looked at him with narrowed eyes. 'What is it?'

'That was Lili, she...Meredeth's in the hospital.'

Terror was an icy fist around her heart but Beckett got to her feet and tried to keep her voice steady. 'What's wrong?'

'She didn't say. Andrea wouldn't tell her, but it's serious, Kate. Andrea sent out the nine-one-one and Andrea doesn't panic, you know that.'

'I know. We have to go.'

Castle nodded, and went upstairs to put together a small tote bag for RJ. Their family would be at Saint Vincent's, that was their hospital or at least that's how Castle had come to think of it since all but three of the babies in their group had been born there. They would be hunkered down in the waiting room, waiting for Esposito and news of anything on what the hell was wrong with Meredeth.

RJ's things packed, he went downstairs to see Beckett helping RJ put his shoes on.

'Mumum, I 'faid fo' Mer-det.'

'It's okay to be afraid, honey, but we have to be strong for Javi and Meredeth and their family.'

'I 'tong.' RJ flexed his little bicep. 'I be buh-rave, Mumum.'

'That's my boy.'

Fifteen minutes later, they were at Saint Vincent's and waiting in the surgical floor's lounge. Shane was already there, as were Esposito's parents Alejandro and Rosalita along with Lili, Cam and their children, and Andrea.

'An-dee-ah, what's hap'in?' RJ demanded in a tremulous voice.

'What he said,' Castle added.

'Meredeth was at her doctor's appointment and she called me to watch the kids since her doctor wanted to get some more tests done and then...the next thing I know, I'm getting called by my husband that Meredeth isn't doing well at all so I better get here pretty damn quick.'

Beckett opened her mouth to say more, but closed it, shook her head. Interrogating Andrea just so she'd have something to do wasn't the way to go. Instead she settled into her chair and waited, watched the other families filter in and Andrea answer the same questions over and over for every fresh arrival.

What felt like an eternity later, Esposito finally appeared, face ravaged with tears of all kinds. They watched as he fell apart when his father rose and embraced him, and Castle surged to his feet, joined the throng of men to comfort one of their own.


	12. The Long Night

No one said anything for a while, just let Esposito get it out of his system; when he regained a little bit of composure, it was Beckett who leaned forward, quietly asking the questions for the whole group so he wouldn't have to repeat himself again and again.

'What is going on, Javier?' she asked in her quiet survivor's voice.

'There's good news and fu- really terrifying news,' Esposito caught himself before dropping an F-bomb in front of the toddlers. 'Which do you want first?'

'The good news,' Shane said immediately. 'Always go with the good.'

'Meredeth is pregnant. Seven weeks,' he told them and they all looked hopeful; Beckett gripped Castle's hand excitedly and felt a flicker of warmth in her chest.

'That's awesome you guys, did you just find out today?' Lanie asked in a timid voice.

'Lanie, let me finish.'

'Of course.'

'She also has an ovarian cyst that's close to bursting and if it ruptures, it could cause serious, life-threatening infection, so they are going to take out the cyst so that...so...'

Castle nodded in understanding. 'It's okay, Javier, we get the picture.'

'Javi? Here.'

They watched little Carey walk over to the man he'd always thought larger than life, a superhero like his own father, and gave him his battered stuffed duck. 'Emilio is a good cuddler.'

'Thanks.' Esposito thought of how Tessi would...oh, god. The kids. 'I...Andrea, what is your mother's number, I have to call her, I-'

'I have it here. Would you like me to call her?'

'Yeah. I want Tessi here. The twins are too little, they would only get scared and not understand it, but Tessi...Tessi needs to be here.'

'Okay.'

Andrea stepped into the hallway to make the call, and Esposito closed his eyes, sighed. Beckett could feel the weight of it in him as he did.

'I thought the worst thing that would happen today was that Meredeth would get pissed off about me having dinner with Victoria and then we'd have a good cleansing fight about it, and then awesome make-up sex.'

'Javi, shhh!' Dell shushed him, scandalized at such casual use of the naughty S-word. 'There are little kids here!'

'Sorry, buddy, I forgot. I'm just worried about Meredeth.'

'Like Mama and Daddy worried about me when my sugars were all crazy?'

'Exactly like that.'

'No be 'cared, Javi.' RJ walked over, patted the cop's knee, totally unaware his actions had his mother choking up as she watched him. He got that confidence from his daddy, no question. 'She be fine, you see. Lanie hadda 'pation fo' Finn, she fine.'

'That's right I did,' Lanie agreed, then looked to Lili. 'You had one too with Rosie, and so did Honey-Milk with Mallory.'

'See? Jus' fine.'

Honey-Milk walked in then, in her scrubs; looking around she found Esposito and wrapped her arms around him. 'Javi, God, I just saw it on the surgical board. What happened?'

'I can't answer that question anymore Jenny,' he replied dully. 'I need to focus all my energy on not losing my mind right now.'

'Why don't we take a walk downstairs, a little fresh air and some coffee while we wait for Tessi and Agnes?' Shane stood up, walked over to him. 'It might help you clear your head.'

'Uh-huh.'

When the men were gone, Beckett pressed her fingers to her lips and before she could hold it in, she felt the tears slip out - one, then two, until she was sobbing her eyes out against her husband's shoulder. 'Oh, God, Rick.'

'I know, Katie, I know.'

'No, on Saturday, just a few days ago, she...she was terrified there was something really wrong. And now...'

'Mumum.' RJ came over to his mother, scared to death at what he saw. His mother was a superhero, she never broke down like this. 'Mumum, whassa madda? Why cuh-ryin'?'

'Because I'm very worried about Meredeth, RJ, I'm very scared.'

'No be 'cared, Mumum. It o-kay, dottas gon' fix-it.' But even as he said it, RJ felt a new vine of fear twist in his stomach. 'Mumum, where my Tah-rini? She 'cared too?'

'I honestly don't know, sweetie.'

'I tell her nodda be 'cared. Mer-det very buh-rave. She be fine.'

Beckett rubbed her belly, thought of the baby growing in there and could only think of her friend, how scared she'd been before even visiting the doctor. What if something went wrong? What if they found something else in her surgery?

What if?

Castle didn't need to be psychic to read his wife's mind, it was all over her face. Threading his fingers through hers, he tugged her to her feet. 'Kate and I are going for some fresh air.'

'Okay.' Lili nodded, then looked at RJ. 'You cool to stay here with us while Mama and Daddy have a private talk?'

'Uh-huh, I lissen you, Lili. I be buh-rave for Mer-det.'

Castle waited, bided his time until they were in the elevator. Once there, he watched as Beckett's brave face all but melted off her and she turned to him, her body shaking as she sobbed her eyes out. 'It's okay, Kate,' he murmured, 'she'll be fine.'

'I went to her, told her everything would be fine, and it's not.'

'And that's somehow your fault?'

'No,' Beckett warbled, 'but I told her not to worry. She trusted me, she believed in me and look where we are three days later.'

'Yeah, look where we are. The doctors caught what was wrong in time, they are fixing the problem in surgery and more importantly, Meredeth and Javier are having their fourth baby, she's already two months gone.'

She sniffled, breathed deeply against his shoulder. 'And what happens if the baby doesn't make it? What happens if Mere doesn't make it? Javi and the kids love her so much, he needs his wife and those babies need their mother.'

'Kate-'

'I know what that's like, and I was nineteen years old when I lost mine. Those children aren't even ten years old combined, they don't deserve that.'

'And it won't come to that, Kate.' Castle took her face in his hands. 'Meredeth is strong, she's got everyone praying for her. She will get through this and seven months from now, about a month after our baby comes along, we'll be back here pacing the floor and drinking too much bad coffee while we wait for the fourth Esposito to be born. You hear me?'

'Yes. I hear you. Even when I don't want to, I hear you.'

He kissed her, pulled her close as the elevator doors dinged open. 'Come on, let's go get some of that bad coffee now. Decaf for you.'

* * *

><p>That night was one of the longest Beckett and Castle had ever endured as they waited and waited for Meredeth's surgery to be done and to hear the good news she was going to be just fine along with the baby. There was a moment that was almost a welcome distraction when Tessi and Dell had temporarily disappeared from the lounge, sending their parents into a tizzy; it was resolved when they realized that the good little Catholic girl and her equally good little Catholic boy had gone to the hospital chapel to pray for Meredeth to be okay.<p>

By about midnight, Esposito had left with the doctors and returned looking positively shipwrecked but not devastated - Meredeth and the baby had pulled through the surgery, but Meredeth's cyst had burst and she'd lost her right ovary. As a result of potential lingering infection and a vulnerably immune system, she was being kept in isolation under sedation for two days so that her body could right itself as soon as possible. The news had made everyone breathe a shaky sigh of relief, one they knew would grow stronger once Merdeth was awake and speaking to them all once more.

To their surprise, Alexis had shown up and she and Shane had volunteered to look after Arturo at the Esposito townhouse in Chelsea, making Castle breathe an extra sigh of relief; it was one less outside worry for them to think about.

Once back at home, neither Castle nor Beckett were surprised to see Martha sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee as they came through the door.

'Oh, good God, my darlings, what is going on?' she asked in her patented worrying-trill. 'Here let me take him,' she added, plucking RJ out of his father's arms.

'Gams?' RJ mumbled sleepily.

'Yes, it's Grams, my prince.'

'Mer-det haffa 'pation. Nee' tell Tah-rini she okay.'

'You'll tell her in the morning, RJ.'

'Love Tah-rini. She my see-hot,' he yawned. 'Wan' Omeo, I suh-leepy.'

'I've got him.' Martha looked at her son and daughter-in-law. 'You need to get some rest yourselves.'

Too tired to argue, Castle and Beckett trudged upstairs to their room, stripped down to their underwear and crawled into bed. The minute her head hit the pillow, Beckett felt her husband pull her close.

'Don't worry, my love,' he murmured to her, 'she'll be just fine.'


	13. The Tender Moment: 14 Weeks

Despite Esposito being out on family leave for three weeks which created an increased workload, Beckett still found herself getting her regular days off at Montgomery's insistence the foetus not be overworked - okay, regular day off, she was only able to take one for a little bit. The first one she had since Meredeth was home from the hospital was going to be used for a play-date for their children, she decided.

With RJ in his stroller, the two of them made their way to two-seventy-one West Twenty-Fifth Street on a clear June morning. Beckett had a couple of ideas up her sleeve what she was going to do with Meredeth, and she hoped the girl had the energy for her.

'Mumum, you 'cited fo' visit?' RJ asked, examining his hands and craning his neck up to look at her.

'Yes, honey, I am very excited to visit Meredeth.'

'Tah-rini needa buddy too.'

'Everyone does when you go through something like what they did,' Beckett agreed and rapped on the door. They heard Arturo woofing away and it was only a little surprising when Esposito himself answered the door. He looked much different when he was in full daddy-mode, Beckett decided - at work he was always in his neatly-pressed and co-ordinated suits, or ironed jeans with a natty polo. At home, he was in ratty black board-shorts with an equally beat-up white t-shirt that read 'This Ain't No Laughin' Matter, Hose Nose' in splattering red over the chest.

'Not your usual Brooks Brothers look, Detective,' she teased him and Esposito only shook his head.

'It's laundry day at the Esposito house. Come on in, the kids are in the living room and the lady of the house is upstairs having a rest.'

'It's not a bad time, is it?'

'No, not at all, just that we had some excitement of our own here this morning, because Meredeth made us breakfast for the first time since coming home. Arturo, knock it off.'

'Silly puppy,' RJ giggled as Arturo gave him a sniff, then set about licking his face and ears. 'You be goo' boy, lissen Tah-rini.'

'Actually, it's Tessi who gives him his marching orders. Only other person he listens to in this house besides Meredeth is my firstborn.' Esposito stepped back in welcome and gave Beckett a hand with unstrapping RJ. Trini, Tessi and Leo looked over at the new arrivals and grinned, but Trini was on her feet and toddling at lightning speed towards the young RJ.

'Ah-Shay, you here!' She threw her little arms around him grandly, rocked side-to-side as she squeezed. 'You see Mami?'

'No, I am visitin' you, Tah-rini. Mumum, where my bag?'

'Oh, right here, little prince.' Beckett passed RJ his back-pack and RJ pulled out a little tin of some kind.

'I make cookies, Tah-rini.'

'Yum-yum-yum!' The little girl hugged the box to her chest as she swayed back and forth. 'Gassy, Ah-Shay. We pay now?'

'You besha.'

The parents watched their tots head over to the living room where Tessi, ever the little mother hen, pushed paper and a few crayons towards her newly arrived friend, telling her to join in making pretty pictures for Meredeth.

'Well, that's our little Freemasons taken care of,' Esposito laughed. 'You want a drink?'

'Sure.'

Beckett followed him into the kitchen and grinned in reflex at the sight she beheld: the kitchen table was buried in laundry, and in the corner, between the sliding doors to the patio and the stove was Meredeth's easel with what she would have initially taken as a murder board with its timeline. Upon closer inspection she discovered it was in fact a daily schedule indicating what time Meredeth needed to exercise, take her meds, and rest while he worked on laundry, cleaning and managing the kids.

If that wasn't a cop in love with his wife and children, what was?

'Here.' Esposito poured Beckett a glass of juice, stuck to his coffee. 'Cures what ails ye, as Mere says.'

'Interesting board you've got running there, Detective.'

'The only way I can keep my recovering wife and three babes in line without going around the bend myself.'

He came back to the table, began picking through all the cleaned clothes and sorting them into five baskets as necessary. The image of rough-and-tumble Javier Esposito picking his daughter's t-shirts and his son's tiny shorts out of the wash made her smile.

'You've become quite the Mister Mom,' she commented, and earned a playful glare.

'A good cop knows his priorities.'

'Daddy!'

Esposito didn't roll his eyes, just shook his head and wandered to the doorway between living room and kitchen. 'You hollered, Leo?' he asked his son.

'Hi Daddy,' he said with a grin. 'Washa doin'?'

'Folding laundry.'

'We takin' Mami pishers?'

'I think Katie wants to have a visit with her first. I'll let you know, okay?'

'O-kay, Daddy.' Leo, ever a resilient soul, went back to his drawing and nudged Trini in the ribs. ''Mon tah-win, we dawin'.'

But Trini was no longer interested in the colourful crayons and pencils and paper; she left the table with the other little ones and wandered over to Beckett, climbed into her lap where she sat at the kitchen table.

'Hi, Katie,' she said in a tone so melancholy it nearly brought Beckett to tears. 'Mami no' feelin' good.'

'But she's getting better.'

'Dotta nip-nip 'tishes.' Trini patted her little side, and it took Beckett a moment to pick it apart that she meant the doctor had gone snip-snip to Meredeth's stitches. 'No oushie, buddit 'cary.'

'It's okay to find things like that scary, _mija_,' Esposito reminded her as he folded her little pink pyjamas.

'No, gotta be b'ave, Daddy.'

'I'll tell you something.' Beckett cuddled the girl close, breathed deep the sugary-cream scent of her. 'Everyone thinks some things are scary. Even your daddy.'

'Really?'

'Really. Ask him if he likes rollercoasters.'

Trini turned her big brown eyes to her father, the ultimate superhero in her almost two-year-old mind and heart. 'Daddy, you no like rolla-coas'ers?'

'No I don't, they terrify me. Absolutely one hundred percent scared to death of them.'

'Huh.'

'And RJ doesn't like it when people cry,' Beckett added.

Esposito chuckled at that one. 'I don't think any man does, it makes us feel icky.'

'Oh, so I get teased for yucky, but icky is okay?' Beckett fired back with a grin, then kissed the top of Trini's head. 'Your mami's gonna be just fine, sweetheart.'

'You sho'?'

'I'm positive.'

'Tah-rini, whasha doin'?' RJ came into the kitchen, and for a moment the blue eyes Beckett saw were his father's; it was the same look Castle got when she had to chase down a suspect in her current condition. 'Why so sad?'

'I 'cared fo' Mami.'

'She fine,' RJ scoffed, but took Trini gently by the hand and lead her back to the living room. 'We gonna make'er suh-mile wit' pishers.'

When the children were out of earshot, Esposito turned to his friend with a lethal grin and wiggling eyebrows. 'Looks like your son's got his father's charm, eh?'

'That's your little girl he's using that charm on, smart-ass.'

'Yeah, it's not him I worry about, it's Dell.'

Beckett cocked her head to the side. 'I don't know if I should be relieved or insulted.'

'How about we debate it over lunch? I've got Mere's recipe for turkey-and-beans, she loved it when she was pregnant with the twins.'

'Sounds fantastic.'

* * *

><p>Lunch was surprisingly delicious, considering it was Esposito at the helm in the kitchen; Beckett suspected it was learn or die situation. She'd barely finished her second helping as Esposito had put the kids down for their afternoon naps when she felt the sudden burning urge to pee.<p>

'Really, kiddo?' she murmured, massaging her abdomen, then realizing that wasn't so smart with a full bladder. 'You couldn't wait until I was finished my snack?'

Once done her business she stepped back out of the bathroom, and nearly ran over Esposito who looked like Wile. E. Coyote with a new plan to get the Road Runner.

'What?'

'Just come here.'

Confused, she followed him upstairs to the twins' room and watched him gently open the door.

And her heart melted.

There, lying on one of the child-sized beds beside a sniffling Trini was RJ, petting her little shoulder and murmuring to her gently.

'It's o-kay, Tah-rini, ev-ee-one 'cared s'times.'

'Wan' Mami.'

'I here, Tah-rini, you 'tay safe wit' me.'

Trini sighed a little bit, rubbed her eyes. 'You 'tay?'

'Uh-huh, you besha.'

The little girl nodded. 'Love you Ah-Shay.'

'Love you Tah-rini, you my see-hot.'

'God I wish I had a camera,' Beckett murmured, wiping at her eyes.

Esposito held up the video camera normally saved for private, intimate moments with Meredeth and smiled. 'Got it covered.'


	14. The Crime Scene Morning: 15 Weeks

'Kate.'

'Nuh.'

'Katie-Lou, your cellphone is ringing.'

Pressing a hand to her eyes, Kate went to roll to her stomach and let out a little squeal when she couldn't. She sat up like a zombie in bed; eside her, Castle sat up too, looking at her like her cheese had done slid off her cracker.

'Kate?'

'I can't roll to my belly anymore. That means the baby's getting bigger!'

'Fantastic. Answer the phone.' It took a lot to make Castle's head hurt these days, but a ringing phone going unanswered fairly did it. 'Or can I do it for you?'

'It's Ryan,' she replied after a glance at the caller ID. 'Ryan, what do you want so early?'

'You, on our crime scene.'

'Shit. Where are you?'

'Sixty-Eighth and Fifth.'

'That'll be fun. See you in a few.'

Beckett snapped her phone shut, then looked over at her hubby, fluttered her lashes. 'I could use one of those breakfast burritos you always love to make me.'

'I'll make it two. You want tea to go as well?'

'Nah, I'll make a rookie squirm for me and do a run for the scary pregnant superior officer with a gun.'

'Now, now, we always tell RJ to play nice, do I have to remind you to as well?'

'Don't ruin my fun.'

* * *

><p>She made it to the address of the crime scene, grinned when she saw an equally happy-looking Ryan on the sidewalk waiting for her with two Big Gulp thermal cups in his hands.<p>

'Morning Beckett. Thought you could use a little Meredeth pick-up this morning,' he commented with a twinkle in his eye that told Beckett everything she needed to know about his good mood. Deciding not to let it weird her out this morning she simply returned his cheerful expression and sipped her drink.

'You're awfully happy today, Ryan.'

'Great day to be alive. You're looking very...motherly yourself today,' he decided. 'Yeah, that's the word.'

'I couldn't roll onto my stomach in bed this morning, the bump is getting in the way now, aren't you?' she cooed back at her belly as she rubbed it, then put it aside to be a cop as they climbed the stairs of the refurbished Civil War-era brownstone home. 'What do we have here?'

The rookie standing post inside the door had a name tag that read 'Cruz' and she was as green as Carey Parrish-Robbins' left eye, but held strong; once she saw them come in the door, her demeanour softened only slightly.

'Detectives,' she said with a slightly Hispanic accent.

'Officer, give us the bullet.'

'Helena Roland, sixty-five, of this address, was found in her living room with two gunshots.'

'Who called it in?'

'Her neighbour, they were supposed to meet outside on the sidewalk at six-thirty this morning to go to the Korean grocery. When Miz Roland was fifteen minutes late, the neighbour used her emergency key and let herself in.'

Beckett nodded, absorbing it. 'What's the neighbour's name, officer?'

'Umm...'

'These are important details, Officer,' Ryan reminded her, and though there was a small flush creeping up Cruz' collar, she didn't back down.

'I wrote her name down, it's in my notes, but...my partner, my trainer, he says using a notepad is for weak cops who aren't smart enough or who don't give a fuck. His words, not mine,' she added.

'If that were the case, cops would have been replaced with robots. Use your notes officer.'

As if to put Cruz at ease, Beckett pulled out her own scratch-pad with a pen and hovered it to prove Ryan's point. 'What's the name?'

'Francine Brecht,' Cruz recited.

'And who is the ME?'

'Doctor Shane Weaver.'

The dreamy look the uniform got in her eyes as she said the name had Beckett's motherly hackles going up. 'Watch your step, Officer. He's way taken.'

'Damn.'

She laughed, went into the living room crime scene while Ryan stayed behind to get the information on the neighbour from the uniform; sure enough, there was Shane Weaver. A little shudder went down her back as she realized this man was less than a year away from being her son-in-law. Now that was something to get squirmy over, at least if you dwelt on it for too long, Beckett thought, so she didn't.

Moving over, she leaned forward a little over his shoulder as she studied the body of Helena Roland, still in her bathrobe and lying in a pool of blood on her back with eyes wide in a fixed death-stare.

'Morning, Doctor Weaver,' she said, and nearly had to stand up when Shane jumped. 'A little edgy are we?'

'Alexis sits her counseling boards this morning so she can do an advanced therapy practicum in the fall. Yeah, I'm a little wound up.'

'Care to discuss a homicide to occupy your time?'

'Very much so. Miz Roland had her clock punched sometime between eleven and two last night.'

'That's a pretty big window,' Beckett observed.

'And I'll tell you why right now.' Shane used a small silver reaching wand to point to the gun-shot wounds. 'These are made in the gut with a nine-mil, and she didn't move. Ever seen _Reservoir Dogs_?'

'Of course.'

'This is almost exactly like Mister Orange losing blood over let's say a six-hour window, the body is slowly pumping it out, right? This woman was on blood thinners, ergo, the window is actually shorter than what it could have been.'

'Okay. Any other anomalies I should know of?' Beckett asked, then blinked as she felt the head-rush. 'Oh, damn, baby.'

'Excuse me?' Shane looked at her like she'd sprouted wings.

'No,' she laughed, then rubbed her belly. 'This one is making me a little dizzy.'

'Then sit your preggo-butt down before I sit it down for you and sic my fiancee on you.'

'Noted.'

'So, the neighbour says...' Ryan trailed off as he walked in, saw Beckett looking a little pale. 'Everything all right?'

'Just a head rush, no biggie,' she replied, but for the Irish cop, this was more than enough motivation. He looked around, snapped his fingers at another uniform who apparently was there for decoration. 'Officer.'

'Brennan,' he said with a curt nod. 'Yes sir.'

'Go down the block to Beanie's Coffee Shop, bring back a decaf Earl Grey tea, extra large with triple milk and one sugar. Real sugar, not that fake shit.'

'Yes sir.'

Brennan took the ten Ryan offered with a promise to return the change and was off like a shot; back in the townhouse living room, Ryan put his hand on Beckett's shoulder. 'Are you okay?'

'Ryan, you've got two kids, you know what this is like.'

'And after the shock and stress we've all gone through with Meredeth, we're not taking any chances with you either,' he reminded her. 'You seeing any bright dots or feeling fuzzy at the edge of your vision?'

'No, I have a perfect eyesight to kick your ass if you don't lighten up,' she responded with a snap.

'Hello, hormones,' Shane muttered, packing up his field kit as his assistants came in with the stretcher and black body bag. 'Oh, by the way Detective-'

'What?' Beckett fairly growled at him.

'Just letting you know that Alexis and I are going to take RJ off your hands tomorrow night since it is your anniversary and all.'

'Thank you,' she replied a little more civilly before turning back to Ryan. 'As I was saying.'

'Yeah, yeah, you're a big ol' toughie, just like the rest of our female friends. But right now, it's my job to watch out for you.'

'Just don't...hover, okay? I'm not helpless.'

'Understood.'

Brennan returned a few minutes later with the tea and a few sips into it, Beckett smiled. 'Okay, this does help.'

'There you go.' Ryan's smile was triumphant as he looked around the living room. 'A place like this is going to have an alarm system correct?'

'Yes, sir, Detective.' Brennan cleared his throat when both of them looked at him. 'Cruz and I, the female uniform on the door, we were first responders and the only thing we did was shut off the alarm system so it wouldn't interfere with us calling in the four-twenty.'

'Okay. We'll get your prints for disqualification and you'll need to tell us what time that was so when we track the software use down, we can eliminate you from that as well.'

Beckett sipped her tea, sighed. 'Meanwhile, the bump and I are going to see if we can recreate anything, but from the looks of it, this one is going to be a real puzzler, right baby?'

Brennan opened his mouth to make a comment, but caught Ryan's shake of the head in time. 'Dude, you wanna keep your balls,' he murmured, 'I suggest you don't make fun of her little butterball.'


	15. The Fifth Anniversary I

'Wow, Daddy, you so han-some!'

'Well, thanks little man.'

Castle turned around as he finished buttoning his dress shirt to look at his son. It was his anniversary with his wife and they were going out in fine style to celebrate. 'So, big plans with your sister and future brother-in-law tonight?' he asked, and RJ blinked in confusion.

'Who buh-ro-n'law Daddy?'

'Shane. When Shane and Alexis get married next summer, he'll be your brother-in-law, because the law says he's now part of our family.'

'He fam-y now.'

Castle chuckled at RJ's stubborn logic. 'I know, but he will be officially part of our family once they have the wedding.'

'Ohhhh.' RJ knew what 'officially' meant, he heard his mother use it when she was on vacation. 'When he fish-ly my buh-ro-n'law?'

'Next summer on July the eighth.'

'Alessis gonna wear puh-retty duh-ress? Fuh-lowers too?'

'You betcha. But tonight, it's my turn to be fancy.' With his tie in place now, Castle smoothed his shirtfront. There, I'm looking pretty sharp?'

'You besha!' RJ echoed his father and Castle laughed, swung RJ to the floor.'

'Come on, let's go find your baby-sitters.'

With RJ's protestation he wasn't the baby anymore since he was going to be a big brother, they headed for the main floor of the loft. Shane and Alexis were there in the kitchen and pouring through what appeared to be a travel magazine.

'You guys taking a trip?' he asked lightly, and felt a little crack in his fatherly heart when they both looked up and sent him a gooey look. 'Oh, is this _honeymoon_ planning?'

'Yeah,' Alexis nodded excitedly. 'Since we've already decided on the spot for the wedding, we want to pick out where we're going for our first weeks as mister and missus well in advance since my time is going to be really crunchy around the time the wedding planner checklist says we should be making that decision.'

'We want to keep this as fun and low stress as possible,' Shane added, running his hand over Alexis' back. 'If we start off with treating marriage like a chore, that's no good for anyone.'

'Good plan.'

'Ooh, look at this, we could go to Tuscany for two weeks, stay in a vineyard's villa.'

'Alessis, I help you and my buh-ro-n'law?' RJ asked politely, and charmed by his use of such a grown-up word, Alexis picked up her little brother, set him rump first on the counter.

'You betcha,' she said in the exact same tone RJ had used on Castle, making the older man feel slightly nostalgic.

Fortunately, before he could get all misty, the main-floor bathroom door opened and a vision stepped out: Beckett was in a plum and silver sundress with silver strappy sandals and wind-chime earrings. The belly had puffed up what seemed like overnight so she looked adorably like she was smuggling a basketball under her dress. She done that thing with her eyes so they looked like huge pools he could happily drown in and her mouth was wide and lush so it showed her her smile with her slightly imperfect teeth.

'There's my beautiful bride,' Castle all but hummed it.

'And my handsome groom. You ready to hit the town?'

'Of course.'

'Okay, just one moment.' Beckett walked over, gave RJ a light kiss on the cheek, wasn't surprised when he leaned over to give her a kiss but stopped about half an inch from her skin.

'No 'mudgies, Mumum, you bee-oo-ti-fo'.' RJ swung his legs with a prideful grin. 'I helpin' Alessis an' buh-ro-n'law.'

'Dad taught RJ a new word tonight,' Alexis explained as Beckett giggled.

'Okay, well you have fun, and you listen to Alexis and RJ, okay? Don't forget to lock up when the three of you leave tonight.'

'Yes Mom,' Alexis said with the obligatory eye roll she didn't know made Beckett's heart swell with pride. 'We won't burn the place down.'

'Alright, have a good time tonight.'

'Same to you,' Shane added with a wink at them over Alexis and RJ's heads.

Castle offered his arm to Beckett and when they were in the elevator, he passed her his handkerchief as she sniffled. 'Damn hormones, huh?' he asked her lightly, then arched an eyebrow when Beckett shook her head no.

'No, I'd be sniffly even if I wasn't knocked up. Alexis and Shane are honeymoon-planning.'

'How did-'

'I saw the magazine in Shane's office when we were at the morgue this morning going over Helena Roland's autopsy report.'

'Oh.' Castle paused. 'You wanna talk about a dead body, get those tears dried up?'

'Uh-huh.'

His wife was such a wonder, he mused, as she detailed the untimely demise of Helena Roland in her Upper East Side townhouse in order to save her makeup job while they drove to the place he'd picked out for their anniversary. It was the one thing, or one of the few things, Beckett had no problem letting him take total control on - if there was anything Castle loved more than being a family man and a writer, it was party-planning, whether it was a rip-roaring all-ages giggle fest like they'd had at the Hamptons in May or a simple, intimate dinner for two like tonight.

Beckett looked out the window, smiling as they drove north through the city. She had no idea what he was up to, but she knew that somehow, he would make her heart melt into a puddle of goo. It was still hard to believe that it had been five years since they'd been married. So much had happened in their lives since then, but by far the best part was RJ. He was

'You're thinking too hard,' Castle told her, turning towards their destination. 'That's not what tonight is for.'

'What's tonight for then?'

'Music and candlelight and really really hot sex.'

'Sparkling cider and chocolate dipped strawberries,' Beckett added in such a honey-love voice that Castle cleared his throat as he felt the rush in his veins, the extra hard thump of his heart.

'You mind saving that tone for after dinner?'

'Not at all.' She felt her own rush in her veins, rolled her shoulders. 'How long might that be?'

'Okay, Detective keep it under your skirt. We're here.'

Beckett looked up at the building and smiled. He was taking her to the Boat Basin Cafe, which meant they were probably goign on a boat and that made her all kinds of happy, anniversary or not. She loved boats of all kinds, so this was definitely a sign of Richard Castle knowing his audience down to the ground.

'Best hubby ever,' she told him as they headed inside to the little reception area and were escorted out to the yacht.

'You say that now, just wait.'

They went to the stern railing on the lower deck, watching the city and all its busy hives of activity switch gears for a Friday night holiday weekend. Beckett gripped the rail, leaned forward to take in the earthy, salt smell of the water; the scent never failed to send her to a mellow state of zen. She supposed that was why, after she'd finally given in to her feelings for Castle and he'd taken her to his - their - mansion in the Hamptons that she felt so calm and at one with life and universe there.

Castle wrapped his arms around her from behind, breathed deep that wonderful unique fragrance that was his wife. Five years already, he thought, that they'd exchanged promises of undying love on their beach with Alexis right there with them. That day had been a day like this, weather-wise, too and to be reminded of that tonight with their other children at home and the next one safe and snug inside Beckett's belly was the best kind of gift there was.

'Happy anniversary, Kate,' he murmured, kissing her temple.

'Happy anniversary, Richard.'

'Great way to spend the night, huh?'

'Oh, yeah, especially after plenty of Ryan and Esposito's teasing all day.' The thought of it had her frowning a little. 'Huh.'

'What?'

'Usually my dad calls on our anniversary to wish us a good one, but I haven't heard from him all day.'

'Wasn't he just back from delivering a set of curio cabinets to Ithica last night?'

'Yeah, but still...' Beckett shook her head, shook it off. 'I'm sure if it was something serious, we'd have heard from the proper channels.'

'Maybe he's on a date,' Castle suggested, 'like we are now.'

'Maybe, but I doubt it. June is always a tough month for him and if he has the odd date here or there, it's not usually around this time of the year.'

'AA meeting? Secret undercover work for the CIA? Alien abduction?'

'I know what you're doing,' she giggled, then turned to give him a hug and a sweet kiss. 'And thank you.'

He started to say 'you're welcome', but changed tactics when he saw her eyes go wide, go dreamy. 'Kate? What is it?'

'The baby...it's started moving! I can feel it fluttering around inside!'


	16. The Fifth Anniversary II

The loft was echoingly empty when they returned home after their dinner out. They'd gotten so used to it being full of RJ's chatter and their family coming and going that to have the place to themselves like this felt almost a little empty.

Almost.

Tonight, they would enjoy that freedom, in that they could be as loud as they liked; Beckett being fifteen weeks pregnant meant she needed a bed for the cushy space for her back.

'That was a great night, Richard,' she told him as they walked into the dining room. She stepped out of her shoes, flexed her toes as she moved around the table to smell the flowers that had been put there. It was something he'd done since she was pregnant with RJ - whenever they went out for their anniversary, he always made sure she came home to flowers and he never repeated a type. This year, for their fifth, it was delicate tiger lilies. 'Oh, those are like summertime in the tropics.'

'I figured they were the most appropriate.'

'How so?'

'Tiger because you're so strong and fierce, lily because you can be soft and delicate when you want to be.' Castle walked up behind her, twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. 'And when we go upstairs to make love in a few minutes, I know you'll be both.'

'You seem pretty confident on that front,' she teased him.

'I know you, and I know your hormones.'

'Just let me check the answering machine for any messages, okay?'

Beckett turned, kissed him in such a way he knew it was a promise of things to come - no pun intended - then pressed the button on the base of the phone by the little blinking light. There was a message from Martha wishing them happy anniversary and she hoped they were out having a good time. The next was a telemarketer which Beckett deleted right away, and the final one from Alexis, Shane and RJ also wishing them happy anniversary.

But still no message from her father. Beckett could feel the icy pricks of fear in her belly, not that something had happened to her father but that he was for some inexplicable reason avoiding her.

Castle saw the knot of worry form between her eyebrows and thought, _Not tonight, not on my watch_. He crossed to her, took both her hands in his.

'Our night is still quite young, Missus Castle. Come with me.'

'Whatever you say, Mister Castle.'

Beckett smiled at him as they went upstairs to their room, closed the door out of habit more than anything. Looking around, she saw that Alexis had been in there and set the stage for them a little bit - more tiger lilies were in vases on the bedside tables and on the bureaus. A bottle of sparkling cider sat chilling in a bucket beside a lamp, and there was a little jar of ocean-breeze massage oil which was certainly Shane's touch; no way would Alexis have put it there.

'Look at all of this,' she murmured, then smiled when Castle turned on the stereo to their wedding song - Frank Sinatra's _The Way You Look Tonight_. Not the music of seduction, but when Castle took her in his arms and pressed a hand to the small of her back she felt tingly all over. 'This is hands down our best anniversary so far.'

'Much better than our first married one.'

'The one when we ate bad clams and had the scoots the entire night?'

'That one, yeah,' Castle laughed. 'Just think, our first anniversary, Tessi was just three months old, and RJ was just a twinkle in our eyes.'

'More like a possibility of the future. But I knew right from our first night together, there was no one else and I felt like such a fool for wasting so much time. You'd think me of all people knows better than anyone how easily you can run out of time.'

Castle heard the CD click off once the song was finished, and he stopped, put his fingers to her lips.

'Tonight,' he murmured, brushing his hand over her face, down her body over the swell of their next miracle, 'this is about love. There's time for forget-the-problems sex another day. Right now, it's all about you and me and us.'

Castle dipped his head to kiss her, lips feather-light on hers then nudging them apart to find her tongue. He slid his own over it gently, languidly as she hummed in her throat. She leaned into the kiss with him, eyes sinking shut; he could almost see the layers of her sliding away until there was only the sensory left. He broke the kiss so his lips could move down her neck, the slim column of her throat as her head rolled back on her shoulders.

'Oh, god,' she sighed as his mouth drift down her throat, over her skin and making her shudder. She felt the ripple move from the top of her head down her back, down her spine to her belly, all the way to the floor. Her hands came up to clutch at his back as best as she could, given the bump was there, and her fingers kneaded there. She knew tonight there was all the time in the world, but she wanted him naked for it, so she fumbled at his shirt, his belt buckle. All it took was his hands on hers to steady them and slip his clothes from his body so he stood naked in front of her. 'Rich, undress me, please.'

'Of course, my love.'

Castle reached to the side of Beckett's dress where her zipper was hidden, then nudged the straps down her shoulders as the fabric fluttered to the ground. 'All the way?'

'All the way.'

With caressing hands he unhooked the strapless bra she wore with its clever hook in the front, then knelt to slip the matching panties over her hips. He stroked his hands up and down her legs, moving up over her behind as he stood up, mouth trailing over the curve of her belly. She was so soft and tender, and he just wanted to celebrate her, what she'd given him. When he reached her breasts, he cupped one against his palm and brushed her nipple, making her cry out.

'Babe, that good or bad.'

'Good,' Beckett sighed, 'really, really good.'

She combed her fingers through his hair, back arching against his touch. 'Babe, I...the bed.'

'Right away.'

Beckett sighed again as he pulled her close, walked them towards the bed and tumbled them so she was on her back looking up into those beautiful blue eyes. 'I love you,' she told him in that pure-sex voice.

'I love you too.'

'Here. I want to try something.'

Taking his hand in hers she pressed his fingertips to her lips, suckled them a little bit, then lowered his hand between their bodies, between her legs and rocked her hips against him. 'Feels so good, Rich.'

Castle could only watch her in amazement, getting harder by the minute at her move. It was hot, no question, but her really wanted to make her scream tonight and he knew there was only one way to do so. Twisting, he glided down her body until his mouth met his fingers and he parted those tender, swollen lips of hers to drive his tongue inside her. He drew it out slowly, riding high on her loud moan.

'Rich, god, more.'

'More what?'

'More,' Beckett repeated as light burst inside her mind, blinding her with love and lust in equal measure for her husband. She propped herself on her elbows, legs falling open as all conscious thought left her mind. It was like a hurricane building inside, whipping up need inside her soul for him. 'Rich, right there, right there, right...there!'

She came on a glorious burst, hot and explosive that left her trembling, quivering for him. She stretched on her back, trying to get her breath back, but it was no use - she'd no sooner got her bearings than she felt him slipped into her, filling her up and stroking her so those lights were back inside her mind once more. She didn't bother at all even trying to keep quiet her moans and demands and compliments for him, not when she had that beautiful tension winding up inside her once more and just when Beckett thought she had nothing left inside, everything was electrified.

Castle watched her come again for him and felt like a god as those sea-goddess eyes clouded blind with pleasure and need for him. Then, amidst all the intense greed their bodies felt for each other, she repeated over and over for him the three little words he never tired of hearing.

'Rich, I love you, I love you, I love you.'

'I love you too, Kate.'

It was the last thought he had before he gave her one final thrust and everything fell away but for her.

They lay tangled together on their bed, Castle listening to his wife's heart thumping away as he rolled them so he was still joined with her without crushing her.

'Hey in there,' he murmured, petting the ever-growing mound of her stomach. 'I know you're probably wondering what all that was, but in about twenty years or so, you'll understand a hundred percent, baby.'


	17. The Raid: 17 Weeks

_Hello and O-M-G! I cannot believe this story has gotten this many reviews so quickly! Also, this chapter contains the first scene as to why I've called this story Cake Crumbs Redux. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>'Well, it's official.'<p>

Beckett looked up from her fives, pen hovering above the paper at Ryan's cheerful announcement. At the murder board, Esposito paused in his writing too, glanced over at his partner. 'What's official, bro?'

'We got the hotel booked, which means the ceremony is officially a go.'

'No shit?' Now Esposito's grin spread wide, showing off his near-perfect smile. 'That's great!'

'Did I miss something?' Beckett asked, looking at her men confused.

'Jenny and I are renewing our vows.'

'Oh, that's so cool! But...' She trailed off, did the math. 'You guys have only been married eight years, don't most people wait for a nice round number, like ten or twenty or something?'

'True, but we've been together for ten years.'

'Wow. Ten years.'

'Yeah, hard to think huh?' Ryan grinned with pride. 'Feels like yesterday that Jenny gave me that tie for our two week anniversary.'

'That ridiculously ugly tie,' Esposito added. 'Man, those were the days, huh?

'Speak for yourself.' Beckett leaned back, patted the bump under her blouse. 'Neither of you has incubated a human being and I'm in it for round two.'

'Why do girls always gotta play the mama card?'

'Because we can, right baby?'

She patted her belly again, then paused, went very still as it twitched beneath her hand. Her expression had both detectives, seasoned daddies-to-be in their own right, going on red alert.

'Kate, what is it?' Ryan asked softly. 'You feeling okay?'

'Yeah, just...thought I felt something.'

'Is it the baby kicking?'

'Could be. I think so...wait...' Beckett closed her eyes and to her utter embarrassment, let one rip as she sat at her desk. Now her face which had gone slightly pale and wondering was cherry red and full of mortification. 'Oh Jesus Christ on a toasted bagel, why? Why did it have to be just gas?'

'Because incubating a human being reminds women that we are all still animals?' Esposito suggested, then cleared his throat when his boss stared him down. 'It's alright, Kate, everyone has to gas.'

'According to the wit and wisdom of my almost seven-year-old science buff of a son, we lose about four litres like that a day,' Ryan added.

'Well, I think that was two of them from me right there. And how much is a litre?'

'Four cups. He's learning metric and imperial.'

'Outstanding.'

Thankfully, to break up the far-too-parental a moment for a cop shop, Beckett's desk phone rang. 'Detective Beckett. Yes. Excellent. We'll be there in twenty. Warrant went through on Henri Dreyfus' business records, we are going to the jeweler store to pick him and his computers up. Tag Riley Fontina.'

'The Cheese Whiz?' Esposito asked, using Riley's nickname as he picked up his suit jacket. 'He's a lab rat.'

'Yes, but we'll need him for shutting down the network safely so that Henri and his little band of miscreants will only think they've got an internet problem, not that the cops have discovered their fradulent business practices that got their trusty store manager Roy Gardner murdered. Let's move.'

* * *

><p>Dreyfus Diamond Shop was, in Beckett's opinion, the worst kind of organized crime to shut down - not only had it gotten a decent man killed who was trying to do the right thing by squealing on really bad guys, but it was just one little pocket in a very big coat of illegal diamond sellers.<p>

Getting out from behind the wheel, Beckett drew her sidearm, which she really was keeping at her side these days instead of where she usually liked it at the small of her back. Easier access there, once she'd started to really pop up with the baby. With the warrant paper hot in her hand, Esposito with his rifle at the ready and Ryan to be the friendly decoy the team was ready to move in with their backup.

They breached the front door like a swarm - 'Police! NYPD! Hands up, where I can see them now!'

Beckett did a sweep of the shop, saw Roy Gardner's assistant Cherry at the counter with an elderly woman discussing estate jewelery commissions, another sales associate who looked more like a linebacker for the Giants. 'Cherry, where is Henri?'

'Henri?'

'Your boss, where is he?'

'Ummm...'

'Think carefully, Cherry,' Beckett cautioned her, weapon still drawn and aimed. 'You want to go to prison for lying to the cops about a man who wouldn't think twice on serving you up on a plate?'

'Basement,' Cherry replied in a nanosecond.

'Ryan, Esposito.'

Esposito gestured with his rifle for Cherry to lead the way as the other cops followed him, while Ryan went right up to the beefeater in the suit by the cash register. 'Don't even think about messing with her,' he said in a low voice with a jerk of the head towards Beckett, 'or I will get angry and you don't want that.'

'You really, don't,' Beckett concurred as Ryan left, her eyes staying on the man's face. 'Now. What's your name?'

'Nicky, but most call me Biggie, like that dead rapper.'

Beckett studied the mans velvety cocoa complexion, the hang-dog eyes and overfull lips. 'I see the resemblance. What do you do here, Nicky?'

'Sales. I'm good at it. People trust me.'

'What do you know about what goes on in the basement here?'

'Nuh-uh.' Nicky shook his head. 'I've seen too many of those damn cop shows, you guys are always trying to set a brother up.'

'Nicky, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the biggest man in the room doesn't always mean he's the most dangerous. You saw that skinny white boy I came in with?'

'The string bean with a piece, sure.'

'He once broke a man down who'd killed two people and abducted a third with the same intention without so much as tapping him on the shoulder with his pinky finger.'

Now Nicky's eyes widened in impressed satisfaction. 'White bean's got some stones.'

'You betcha,' she agreed, using one of her son's favourite phrases. 'So, I'll ask you if you'd like to invoke your right to an attorney, though my gut's telling me that you don't really need one right now.'

'I...I don't know, lady. Officer,' he corrected.

'It's Detective. And all I want to know is if you had any part in what goes on in the basement here.'

Since Nicky's black eyes flashed with knowledge of the illegal activities currently being shut down by the Ry-Sposito monster but there was no guilt or panic there, Beckett knew he wasn't part of it. 'Nicky, it's okay to tell me you knew about it and didn't do anything.'

'It shames me, Detective.' The hulking man no longer seemed to fill up the space as he did when Beckett first approached him. 'I- Roy came to me, before he died, said he knew something bad was going on here, something not right, but before I could ask him what it was, he turned up dead. So I started trying to figure a little out for myself, and...I got a family. Not like Roy.'

He took a breath, composed himself. 'My wife is pregnant, just like you, with out next baby and we have a two year old girl at home. I couldn't risk putting them in harm's way.'

'I understand Nicky, and now you have a chance, a legitimate chance, to make things right by telling me everything you know.'

'Okay. I'll go with you. But I'm taking my own car, I ain't riding in the back of no cop car.'

'That's fair.'

* * *

><p>Beckett arrived home on-time after her shift with a bag of her baby 'fun-foods', things she loved to indulge in when she was getting cravings - Ben and Jerry's If I Had A Million Flavours, Italian soda, tortilla chips, and inexplicably, leafy raw spinach. She'd been told time and time again by Nicole Phillips-Zubari, the nutritionist Harvey set his patients up with, that spinach was great for keeping ehr iron up while pregnant. With RJ, she couldn't even stand the smell of it, but this time around being pregnant, she wanted to eat the stuff by the pound with her bare hands.<p>

She opened the door to the loft with a wide grin, set her bags down. 'Hey everyone!'

'Mumum!' RJ all but flew through the kitchen to his mother, caught her in a fierce hug around the knees. 'You home!'

'Yeah, I am,' Beckett started to laugh, then saw the worry in her son's eyes, the tremble in his lower lip. 'Hey, what's wrong, my little prince?'

'Pito phone, he say you goin'a get baddies today.'

'Esposito called after you finished the small raid on the diamond shop.,' Castle explained as he came over to give his wife a welcome-home kiss. 'He was wanting to know about poker and I asked him why he was all out of breath.'

'It too 'scary fo' my baby, Mumum,' RJ told her sternly, even folded his little arms over his chest. 'Gotta be mo' cay-fo.'


	18. The Jackasses: 19 Weeks

By the middle of July, shortly before Dell Ryan's seventh birthday - and where had that time gone - Beckett was ready to scream. All the men in her life had turned into total and utter jackasses.

It started, she noticed, when she went into the break room to get herself a container of yogurt from the fridge; she'd fallen in love with Greek yogurt as an alternative to constantly having to drink milk, and Meredeth had begun making her smoothies with the stuff to give her the protein boost as well. When she'd gone to crouch down for her usual middle-shelf on the right hand side space, she bared her teeth at the lack of Liberty Greek yogurt there.

Slamming the door Beckett turned on her heel and went to her desk only to find the elusive container on her desk, complete with a spoon and a few napkins. 'Who did this?' she asked, pointing at the thoughtful gesture like someone had thrown up on her desk and hadn't cleaned it up. She looked around at the others in the bullpen. 'Who?'

'Hey you're back from the head!' Esposito gave her a chipper smile as he left the interview room where one of his and Ryan's perps had rolled like a sausage on his partner in crime. 'Thought you might like something to eat.'

'Oh, you just think you're so smart, don't you?'

'What?'

'Don't touch my stuff!'

'It's cup of yogurt,' he fired back in the same tone he'd use on Trini when she was being particularly picky over her vegetables. 'Not a ruby brooch, so cool your jets.'

'And don't tell me to calm down. I'm the first-grade here, I give the orders.'

'Of course you do.'

Beckett actually tugged on the ends of her hair, let out a little screech at his infuriating tone. No wonder Meredeth had gotten so cranky with him when she'd been overdue with Tessi. 'And for god-sakes, don't do _that_ either!'

'Oh-oh, what he'd do now?' Ryan, having caught the tail end of the exchange as he stepped to his desk looked between his partner and his very hormonal boss, who was apparently having a bit of a conniption fit. She silenced him with a single glare as she fought for control and dignity.

'I don't need you sticking your nose in here, Detective Ryan. Now, if you are doing smothering me Detective Esposito, perhaps you could go to floor two and find out how long it's going to take CSU to complete the tox report on Colin Embry.'

'Well-'

'Fine, I'll damn well do it myself.' Beckett turned on her heel and the moment the elevator doors closed behind her, Ryan looked at Esposito with a slightly baffled expression.

'Hormones?'

'And then some.'

Because she was in the elevator, Beckett didn't fight the eyeroll, and thought there might be a glimmer of hope for a pair of human ears when her phone chirped at her. Disappointment was small at first that it was a text message, then it mutated into black fury when she saw it was her father sending said text.

_Hey Katie-Lou, sorry I didn't return your call on Tuesday. I should be home tonight if you want to call me back. Love Dad. xxoo._

'What the fuck?' she hissed. He'd been doing this for over a month now, sending her texts and purposely leaving messages when he knew she couldn't return them right away. Jim Beckett was avoiding her and she was reaching the end of even her very patient tether. 'Seriously, Dad, what are you doing?'

Beckett's day did not improve much when she went home, either. She had a screaming ache in her back and just wanted five minutes of peace to possibly improve her mood prior to family time, so her husband wouldn't want to smother her in her sleep for being such a right bitch. A bubble bath, she decided. Yes, a nice soothing tub of warm water with lilac scented foam to ease away her troubles, coupled with a glass of fizzing lemonade and a turkey club sandwich and a gander at _Lady Hawk: Open Your Eyes,_ her favourite of Meredeth's books. That was the ticket to letting the stress of the day melt off her conscience.

It was not to be for the moment she walked in the loft, she was greeted with the sound of Castle and his mother having a rather heated exchange of words.

'Mother, I know you're the grandmother but there are rules.'

'Richard it was one little bite size bit of chocolate, he's eaten worse than that, as did you if I recall correctly.'

'It's one thing to accidentally swallow a moth because I had an open mouth at the carnival. It is another thing to deliberately go against mine and Kate's wishes that he not have junk!'

'Richard, I-'

'Can we please save it on the fighting? I've had enough squabbles for today,' Beckett groused loudly enough to get their attention. Immediately Castle was there, helping her with her bag of files and her purse. 'What are you doing?'

'Sweetheart, you really need to cut down on how much you stuff in here. Don't you do mostly everything electronically anyways?'

'Richard,' was all she said, hoping he would get the message, but it was a no-go; he was barreling on ahead.

'And you said you were coming home earlier tonight, I thought you were going to talk to Montgomery about adjusting your hours since you're almost at five months now.' Castle shook his head, helped her out of her summer-weight jacket. 'I mean really, Kate, you-'

'Do yourself a big fucking favour and shut up. Right. Now.'

He blinked, then set his mouth in a pout. 'Why?'

'Because I'm not some brainless female who needs all the men in her life telling her what to do every step of the way, nor do I need them to do it for me.' Beckett yanked at her bags, gave him a such a heated look it could have liquefied granite. 'So do yourself a favour and knock this disgusting, babying shit off.'

She stormed upstairs, leaving Castle not baffled but hurt. He knew she was still dealing with hormones but rarely this time around did they bmake her cranky or pissed off. Someone must have done something at work; it shamed him more than he cared to admit that his first thought was Ryan or Esposito made the wrong wiseass comment and she was taking it out on him.

He wasn't the only one in the room who thought so either. 'Yikes,' Martha commented, 'she's got a bee in her pregnant little bonnet.'

'Mother, I swear to God-'

'Apparently all the Castles are pissy tonight,' she added blithely, but knowing her son and his wife needed a little space, she took her leave.

When the door had lcicked shut behind her, Castle went to lock it then up to his bedroom where unsurprisingly he found his wife in the middle of a crying jag. He was no stranger to female tears, so he did what he'd done since the first time a woman had used his shoulder as a hankie - he was there for her.

Settling himself onto the bed beside Beckett he wrapped an arm around her shoulders; she didn't try to fight him off and he was glad she didn't.

'You don't even know why I'm upset, Rick. You just came rushing over to tell me what I was doing wrong, not even asking me how my day was or a kiss hello,' she sobbed.

'Sure, something about Esposito and a single-serving carton of Greek yogurt.'

'Why did he have to do that? It's so bloody embarrassing.'

''I'm sure he was only looking out for you, thinking you could do with a healthy snack.'

'No,' Beckett said defiantly, and for a moment, Castle envisioned her as a sixteen year old girl trying to clue in her clueless parents. 'It's the principle of the thing. I am not some dumb half-wit girl who needs all the big strong men to take care of her. I am a cop, I'm Detective First-Grade Katherine Louise Castle of the NYPD and I deserve to be treated as such.'

'You are also Katherine Louise Castle, wife of Richard and mother of RJ and Embryo Castle, and deserve to be treated as such. And youre right I missed a very important step tonight.' He wrapped his other arm around her, tilted her back and laid his lips on hers. 'Hello, Kate, how was your day today?'

'Awful. Where's RJ?'

'Need another man in your life to snap at, make the circuit?' Castle asked dryly and to his relief, it got a small smile from her.

'No, just a mommy hug. Or a mumum-hug, as he'd say.'

'He's just finishing up a nap.'

Beckett breathed her first easy breath of the day as she stretched on her side and in a few minutes, she saw her boy come wandering in with his bunny under his arm.

'Mumum, Daddy say you sad? Why sad?'

'Because...because I just feel sad.'

'That o-kay. I fix it, Mumum.' RJ climbed onto the bed, laid his head on her thighs and patted the bump. 'Baby, you puh-lay nice. No mo' tears, or no des-sert.'


	19. The Family Ties

Castle watched his boy and his woman together, felt almost intrusive to their moment - Beckett trying to pull it together for RJ and RJ cheering up his unhappy mother.

'Mumum, why you sad an' happy so mush?' he asked.

'It's part of what happens to my body as I'm growing the baby inside. It makes my hormones go all funny.'

'What mor-mones?' RJ studied his mother's face with serious little eyes. 'What those?'

'They live in Utah,' Castle started, making Beckett laugh while still giving him a 'watch it, buster' look. 'Those are things inside your body that make you happy or angry or sad sometimes,' he added in a more fatherly tone.

'No, that you' heart.'

Beckett had to laugh at that one. 'It's hard to explain, sweetie.'

'It o-kay, Mumum. You busy 'nuff to-day.' RJ went back to poking the belly. 'Ah-suh-cuse in'ere. You puh-lay nice wit' Mumum, she bes' mumum ev-er. Hey!'

He pulled his hand away like he'd been burned. 'Mumum, you have tummy bubbas?'

'No. No.' Beckett put her hand to her side where her son had lain his, and felt it there herself. Suddenly, everything that had happened that day, from Esposito being a total jerk to her father's text, didn't matter all that much anymore. 'RJ, you know what that is?'

'Wha'?'

'It's the baby kicking! It's finally big enough that we can feel it moving around!'

'Really?' RJ, like his mother, forgot the sadness and focused his attention on the bump. He pressed his tiny palm against her body and frowned. 'I no' feelin' it. You shoo?'

'I'm sure that's what it was.'

'Nuh-uh, you tuh-rickin' me, Mumum.'

Beckett just laughed, took both RJ's hands and moved them around until the baby gave another kick. 'There, you feel that one?' she asked him, but she had her answer in his expression.

'Oh, wow Mumum! Good shob, baby! You geddin' big!'

RJ gave the belly a kiss, then in a move that nearly made Beckett's tears start up all over again, he took Omeo and pressed one stuffed paw to the belly. 'Omeo! Baby's moving!'

'You're practicing big brother skills on your bunny?' Castle asked.

'Yes, Daddy, gotta paddis. It im'ortant shob.'

'It's a very important job,' he agreed, then put his hand on Beckett's belly as well, felt the nudges there. 'We got a live one in the tank, Detective.'

'A live, hungry one.'

'O-kay, we make som-pin. You res', Mumum, we gosha cover,' RJ said with an adorable pint-sized wink. ' 'Mon, Daddy! It shif time!'

'Alright, junior chef, wait for me at the top of the stairs.' Castle dipped his head to kiss his wife. 'Feeling better?'

'Immensely. But I still want my bath later.'

'Take it now while we cook. Then we can watch a movie or something with RJ, and then later, you can take out all that energy on me in a useful way.'

'It's a date.'

Beckett gave him one last kiss and when she heard her hubby and son's voices drift downstairs, she gave her newly moving belly a rub herself. 'That's your daddy and your big brother. If you're a little girl in there, you'll be lucky to get a date at all before you're forty,' she murmured with a small smile. 'But that's just their way of letting you know how much they care.'

She thought of the words she'd just spoken to her unborn child, and realizing that they could be applied to someone else equally important, Beckett sat up in bed and frowned a little. Yes she had to do this, there was no reason she couldn't.

Stepping over to the closet, she changed into a floaty summer maternity dress of ripe bold red, yellow and white curlicues of colour, added the perfume she'd been given by her father on her birthday and gave her hair a quick brush. She grabbed her keys and her small purse just to make sure her husband didn't try anything funny on her.

She went downstairs and wasn't surprised to find Castle and RJ had pulled out the big guns - they were making California-style fish tacos and she could also smell a big pot of Meredeth-esque deliciousness bubbling away. Both her men had their aprons on and RJ was watching how Castle carefully prepared the peppers.

'Why no' eat tha' 'tuff, Daddy?'

'Because those are the seeds, RJ, they aren't good-tasting.'

'Oh. Wow! Mumum, you so puh-retty!'

Castle looked up from his cutting board at his son's exclamation and gave his very pregnant wife a slow smile. 'You dressing up just for us, Detective?'

'Actually, I'm going over to my dad's to invite him for dinner. I know I can do it over the phone, but...I need to see him in person.'

'I understand. I also called my mother and she's coming to join us as well.'

'Lessis and' Shane too, Daddy?' RJ asked hopefully, and only felt a little bit of disappointment when Castle shook his head.

'I invited them, but they already had plans with Shane's friends tonight.'

'Haffa keep pomis.'

'Exactly. You got a kiss for me big guy?' she asked her son, and RJ nodded, held up his arms to his father in signal to be put on his feet on the ground. The little boy wandered over, gave Beckett a hug as best as he could.

'Baby gettin' big, Mumum. It hard-a hug now. Baby be here soon?'

'Not until after Christmas.'

RJ pouted, but patted the bump and kissed it. 'You be nice-a Mumum, 'memer? O-kay, bumpy.'

'Thanks, RJ,' Beckett laughed, then gave her husband a kiss goodbye as well. 'I'll return shortly, hopefully with my father in tow.'

* * *

><p>It wasn't until she was standing outside his apartment building that it occurred to Beckett this might now have been such a smooth plan after all. True it was a Tuesday which meant Jim wouldn't be in his workshop finishing his latest project. But what if he'd switched his support group meeting this week? What if he'd gone to the movies or a Mets game or out somewhere else?<p>

Shaking it off she resolved her courage and pressed the button for her father's intercom. There was a distinct pause and Jim's voice, tight and distracted, came through the tinny speaker-box.

'Whos is it?'

'It's Katie-Lou, Daddy.'

'Oh.'

Beckett heard the disappointment in his voice and felt the demon from the elevator earlier that day rise up again in her chest. What was with him these days?

She stepped off the elevator on his floor, pressed the little buzzer outside three-three-eighteen, heard the muffled footsteps on the other side of the door - and got her second shock of the day when her father answered in his abathrobe, hair damp from a recent shower.

'Katie!' Jim's tone was overly bright and alert as he greeted her, which had Beckett's cop senses going on alert. 'What brings you this way?'

'I needed some fresh air after a long day-' it wasn't a total lie, Beckett realized, as the time and space for herself had done her some good '-and thought I'd come over, invite you to dinner.'

'Oh, sweetheart, that's very considerate of you but...I ah, already have plans.'

'I know.' Now Beckett's voice hardened, as did her stare. 'And I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell's been going on with you.'

Jim watched his daughter come into the foyer of the apartment, fold her arms over her chest so they rested on her almost-five months pregnant belly. He wondered if she knew how much she looked like his Johanna had when she'd been pregnant with Kate when she did things like that. He scratched the back of his head, searched for the words that had failed him for so long where this matter was concerned. 'Okay, I guess there is no easy way to say this-'

'I know, Dad, and I'll get you counselors, treatments, whatever you need.'

'Wait, what?'

'You've fallen off the wagon, haven't you?' she asked him softly. 'That's why you've been avoiding me, so I wouldn't see it.'

'No. No!' Jim shook his head emphatically. 'Kate, I would never do that to you, have all that work you did for me, that you taught me to do for myself, destroyed. No, it's much more simple than that.'

'Really?'

It wasn't until that moment that Beckett realized that water had been running somewhere in the apartment, for the noise of taps being shut off and water ceasing to flow in the pipes sounded behind one of the walls. She blinked at it, then felt like a fool when it dawned on her.

'You've got a new woman in your life.'

'Yes,' Jim admitted, the weight of his burden sliding from his shoulders.

'Who is she?'

But the question was answered for her when the woman emerged from the bathroom, also in a stylish robe and towel drying her hair, and Beckett thought her eyes were going to bug out of her head.

'Agnes?'


	20. The Jim Admission

'Hello Detective.'

Beckett could only gape at Andrea's mother, clearly very at home in Jim's apartment. Gulping, she turned to him, saw the guilt in his face as she could only splutter. 'Dad, wha...how...Does Andrea know about this?'

'Yes, she's known for awhile I've been involved with someone, but not that it's Jim,' Agnes replied honestly. 'And since I know you two could use some time to sort this out, I'll go get changed and step out for a moment.'

'No, Agnes, I'm not going to run you out of town,' Beckett assured her, thinking of Alexis and Shane, and how she'd treated Alexis like an adult about the whole situation. What kind of lowly hypocrite would it make her if she couldn't face this similar situation where she was the daughter? 'But a pair of underpants wouldn't hurt.'

Agnes laughed uneasily, and retreated into Jim's room; the moment the door was closed, Beckett turned to her father. The anger was gone but the hurt was still there and for a moment she imagined this was what Castle had felt when Alexis finally owned up to her and Shane being an item.

'Dad? When did this start?'

'Well...that's complicated.'

'I've got time,' she said tensely, her upset growing with each passing second. 'And don't give me the 'waiting for the right moment' crap, because I dealt with my husband that way once before, and I won't take it anymore.'

As this was Jim's only possibly response other than the truth which would sting like a bitch either way, he rubbed a hand over the top of his head. One look at his daughter's eyes - the same as her mother's - and he knew it would be easier to face her wrath than go on living with the guilt of evasion any longer.

'The truth is I was scared you would judge me, Katie. I know about Agnes' chequered past, her own struggles with addiction and I doubt that is the kind of woman you'd want to see me involved with. I know you don't want to see me with a broken heart anymore.'

'Dad, I am the last person who would judge people for their relationships. Look at my family, I don't think there's any one of them I would consider normal, except maybe...not, not even Lili and Cam,' Beckett decided. 'They have their own twists and turns just like everyone else.'

'You're still upset with me,' Jim pointed out to her, going to his fridge for the pitcher of ice water he hoped would soothe his burning throat.

'Damn right I am Dad.' Beckett's hands moved to her hips in a show of indignant protestation. 'I was going through hell worrying about you, but I knew if it was an alcohol thing you were probably talking to your sponsor.'

'What changed your mind?'

'Three days ago, I bumped into Margaret at the movies with Alexis and Shane, and she said you were doing just fine.' Beckett sighed, eased onto one of the bar-stools in her father's kitchen. 'Dad, I love you, and I would hope that if I could be honest enough to tell you when I was a grown woman dating a man you didn't approve of-'

'I liked Rick just fine.'

'Yeah as a guy I was friends with, not as a future son-in-law, but that's not the point. The point is, I was honest with you that we'd officially begun dating. Why didn't you give me the same respect?'

'Like I said, I was scared and you being a cop, you know people act out of fear all the time,' Jim returned evenly. 'Agnes means a great deal to me, and it was only in the last two months or so that things between us became serious.'

'How serious? No wait, how long have you been seeing each other?'

Just after Nessa's baptism in April. Remember, I came to the reception as Martha's plus one so I wouldn't feel left out?'

'You scammed another woman when you already had a date?' This made Beckett laugh. 'Maybe you are more like my husband than I thought.'

'It wasn't scamming, young lady.' Jim's tone was stern but he also knew if she was laughing, she couldn't be too upset with him. At least right now. 'Agnes and I talked, and she mentioned that she was looking to join a new support group since hers was conflicting with her new cooking class at the culinary school. I suggested she come to mine, and a week later I saw her there. After it was done, we went for coffee.'

'And it went from there?'

'Yes. She even came with me to put flower's at your mother's grave in June.'

'Wow, that is serious.' Beckett blinked in amazement, thought of a moment from the family dinner when she'd announced her pregnancy. 'So that's why you split a cab uptown with Martha that night. You were going to see Agnes.'

'What did you think I was going home with Martha?'

'The thought did wander across my mind.'

'No, no.' Jim chuckled, glad to have some equal footing back. 'Martha is lovely but Agnes...she fits me much better. And before you ask, she told me all about her mistakes and her reasons for moving back to New York the first time we had coffee and I have to admit, her determination was what made me fall for her, Katie-Lou.'

'Are you going to get married?'

'No. Both of us know that won't be in the cards, but what's wrong with having someone in your life to call your lover and friend?'

Beckett thought of Meredeth's grandmother Constance and how she always referred to Terrance as her better half. She thought of all the worry she'd gone through, looked at her father's face with his jumbled emotions and realized that no good would come of being angry or upset. It would satisfy her base need to have her ego soothed, but more, she thought of everything her father had been through, the numerous times it had taken him to stay sober, and thought of the ferocity with which Agnes had made her stand for Andrea and her new family.

'There's not wrong with that Dad, not at all. I'm still mad at you,' she added, 'but I understand why you did what you did.'

Hearing his daughter's simple forgiveness like that nearly reduced Jim to tears. 'Thank you, Katie.'

'I know you're also not trying to replace Mom, because, I mean no offence to Agnes but you could not have picked someone more opposite than her.'

'I know. I loved your mother, and part of me always will, but Agnes is fun. She's exuberant and thrilling and she makes me feel something I haven't felt in a seriously long time with another woman.'

'Oh, God, Dad, ew! I don't need to hear that!'

'Happy, Katie-Lou,' Jim chuckled. 'She makes me happy, and on that disgusting note, I'm kicking you out.'

'Seriously?'

'Agnes and I have theatre tickets to see _Love By Fountain Pen_ tonight at the Schubert, and we were in the middle of getting ready when you came knocking on the door.'

'Oh. So I guess having you over for dinner now isn't going to work.'

'No, but I do know from listening to Agnes that Andrea will probably be expecting your call once you leave here.'

She laughed, rubbed her hand over the bump of the belly. 'Yeah, I know you're in there too, little one.'

'The baby's moving?' Grandfatherly pride glowed in Jim's heart. 'May I?'

'Of course.'

'Hey in there.' He spoke to the bump as he laid his palm on his daughter's belly, felt the nudges and kicks. 'You're awfully busy, aren't you?'

'RJ's convinced it's a boy.'

'Nope, you've got a female in there, sweetheart.'

'You think so?'

Jim nodded sagely. 'You look exactly how your mother did when she was pregnant with you. My money is on little girl Castle to go with the other granddaughter of mine.'

'About that,' Beckett said, remembering another moment from her pregnancy announcement night. 'Alexis is still a bit miffed you said you'd finally have a granddaughter if this turns out to be a girl.'

'Oh. Oh, dear, I didn't even think...I'll send her flowers first thing in the morning.'

'Good plan. Well, I guess I'll get out of your way and let you get on with your night. Have a good time with your...girlfriend? Is that what we're calling her?'

'Let's just call her Agnes for now.'

'Deal.' Beckett wrapped her arms around her father as best as she could with the bump in the way. 'Love you Daddy.'

'Love you too, Katie-Lou.'

Beckett left, and when she was in the elevator on the way down, she dialed Andrea's cellphone. The friendly nurse answered after just two rings.

'Hey Katie, what's happening?'

'Nothing much, just left my dad's place.'

'Oh-oh.' Andrea giggled, understanding completely. 'Well, as it happens, I am hubby-free and baby free tonight, want me to swing by your place with some ice cream?'

'And syrup for sundaes.'

'Done.'


	21. The Catharsis

When Beckett arrived back at the loft, she wasn't surprised to see Castle and RJ at the kitchen table, trying to hang spoons from their noses.

'Mumum, look! Daddy teashin' me!'

'Hi, sweetie, how it go?' Castle asked her, setting his nasal utensil aside.

Beckett opened her mouth and before she could stop it, a loud guffaw of laughter came out, then another and another until she was propped against the door, supporting the bump both top and bottom as she howled like a crazy lady.

'Mumum, you silly,' RJ said cautiously, then looked at his father. 'Daddy, why she laughin' so mush?'

'I don't know, but I need you to be a big boy for me and go into the living room with Omeo, okay? You still have your crayons there, you can work on a picture for Trini.'

'An' Mer-det, Daddy, she nee' lossa suh-miles.'

'Good plan.'

The youngster looked after, Castle went to deal with his bride. He looked her in the face, afraid to touch her in case she snapped at him. 'Katie, honey, muffin, fried chicken, Caesar salad-'

'I'm okay,' she wheezed out, swiping at her eyes. 'Really, I'm okay Rick.'

'What...' Castle looked around, saw RJ in his own little world. 'What the fuck is that all about?'

'I may or may not have just busted my father and his new girlfriend in some post-shower nookie.'

'What?'

'Yah. He's not drinking, he's in love. And the ass kicker - it's Andrea's mother.'

'What?'

'Yah,' Beckett said again, watching her own shock ebb into her husband. 'Dad answered the door in his bathrobe and while we were talking, Agnes came out in her bathrobe drying her hair.'

'Oh my sweet singing Jesus.' Castle took a step back, pressed his hand to his mouth as he started to laugh. 'That's...that's really funny!'

'Not for me, it wasn't!' Beckett breezed past him, into the kitchen where she scowled at the lack of fizzing fruit juice in the refrigerator. 'There I am thinking that my dad's in the bottle again, then out prances half-naked Agnes!'

'Um, Katie, I hate to point this out to you, but you know your dad has had sex, otherwise you wouldn't be here,' Castle told her bluntly, 'and considering you're married and five months pregnant with your second baby, that's a bit of a give away to him about you too.'

'I know that, but...it's like making the connection between cute little pigs in the field and then having a BLT, my mind just does not need to make the link.'

'Right.'

'Mumum?' RJ came into the kitchen, held up a piece of paper to her. 'I make a pisher fo' you.'

'Oh, sweetie, thank you so much.' Beckett took the piece of paper, smiled at the lopsided stick figures - one was definitely Castle, and one was definitely her, as was evident from the bulbous tummy with a little stick figure inside, but there was a line of medium sized stick figures all around the bed where Stick-Beckett and Stick-Castle were sitting. 'I see me and Daddy but who is everyone else?'

'All lit-tle ones! There me an' Tah-rini. We the moon sys'em, we po-tec' bumpy.'

'That is very nice of you RJ.'

'This deserves a place of honour.' Beckett took the sheet, and tacked it to the fridge with a magnet. 'What do you think, RJ?'

'Ve-wee nice, Mumum. Bumpy like it?'

'Bumpy likes it too, but now it's time for beddie-byes.'

The doorbell sounded and Beckett slapped her palm to her forehead. ' told Andrea she could come over and commiserate.'

'Okay, I'll take our little prince up to bed.'

'See Anduh-rea firs', puh-lease?' RJ pleaded, and Castle relented.

'That's fine by me, Kate?'

'Okay.'

Beckett went to the door, and to her surprise, there was Andrea but her hands were empty; not full of the promised ice cream cure-all sundaes she'd promised on the phone. 'Hey, girl,' the now-pixie-cut redhead greeted her.

'I thought we were having ice cream.'

'Oh, we will, but not you and me we. I'm here to take RJ off your hands for the night, as I have a feeling you could do with a night for you and your man alone, so you can have some very interesting quasi-make up sex.'

'Did I mention I love you like a sister?' Beckett tapped her fingers on the door, then stood back in welcome before watching RJ come rushing over to greet his second-favourite redhead in the world.

'You say hi-hi Nessa fo' me?'

'Or, how would you like to tell her yourself and have a sleepover at our house tonight?'

'Really?' RJ's eyes went wide and greedy; he looked up at Beckett. 'Puh-lease, Mumum? I so goo' fo' Daddy.'

'Well, I suppose we can make a little exception for tonight, since you've been such a good boy.'

'Yea! Daddy! Need-a cuh-lothes!'

Andrea walked in, explained to Castle the situation and Beckett's hormones did a happy little skip and jump when she saw the light of understanding in his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, RJ had an overnight bag ready to go, 'mooshes' and hugs for his parents and a whole boatload of babbled stories for Andrea as they walked out of the loft.

The moment the door closed Beckett turned to her husband, grabbed a fistful of his shirtfront and tugged him towards the stairs. 'Bedroom. On the double.'

'Yes ma'am.'

Once there, she wasted no time in hauling off her dress, her support belt, her underwear both top and bottom. 'Get naked,' she ordered Castle, who complied, albeit with a little bit of a wary attitude.

'I...just so we're clear, we're not having sex because of you finding out your dad has a new lady, are we?'

'No, we're having sex so I don't have to think at all. It was a long fucking day and I want to just forget it all. Except this part. And the RJ artwork part.'

'Now that I can do for you.'

Naked with her now and understanding exactly what it was she needed, he crossed to her and took her face in his hands, kissing her lightly at first, teasingly, then deepening it so the only thing his warrior queen had to do was feel. Carefully, he guided her towards their bed, laying her down gently and turning her to her side so he could run his hands along the long feminine lines of her curvy pregnant body.

_Take me away_, was all Beckett could think at the sensation of his hands on her body. She craned her neck so she could lean back and kiss him again, this time parting his lips with her tongue as his fingertips brushed her breasts; the moan she let out was sweet and satisfying when he dragged the pad of his thumb over her hardening nipple. When she tried to arch her back in pleasure, Beckett found her hips steadied by Castle's hands once more.

'It's okay, Kate, I'm right here,' he murmured in her ear.

'I know.'

'I'm right here,' he murmured again, loving how she was all but trembling for him. Was there anything more seductive than a strong woman giving into the man she loved, he wondered. Then all thought was gone when he slipped his hand between her thighs and found her already achingly wet for him, so he stroked her in such a way that her mind would empty of all conscious thought. It made her breath come in gasps and hitches, her head rolling to the side as she whimpered for more from him. The noises she made got him hot and hard against her body, with all that beautiful soft skin, and he couldn't wait to bury himself deep inside her.

But there was more she needed from him right now, so Castle was the one to rock his hips against her body, his arousal brushing up against her. She moaned lowly this time, deep from inside, when he slipped his fingers inside her.

'No, Rick, just you. Big, beautiful you,' she rasped, her voice rusted with need.

'Okay.'

Moving his hand down the length of her leg to her knee, he crooked it up and positioning himself, slid into her where they lay on their sides on the bed. The feel of her, so slick and warm, made Castle clench his jaw so he didn't pop too soon. He loved making love to her, not just with her, but tonight was not that kind of night.

'Move to your knees, Kate.'

Beckett nodded slowly, and still filled with her husband, twisted so her hands closed over the edge of the headboard as Castle thrust into her from behind. There was little finesse in his moves tonight, but it didn't matter - all that matter was being here like this with her man. She felt the glorious tension wind tighter and tighter inside until it was storming through her, and with the baby gone, she had no reason to be quiet, so Beckett let him know, loud and clear just how good he made her feel, until she was sprinting toward oblivion and dragging him along behind her.


	22. The Birthday Party

'Daddy, why Mumum no' comin'?'

'Because she is very tired and needs to rest. Growing a baby is hard work,' Castle told his son as they walked towards Ryan and Honey-Milk's building, RJ with the wrapped birthday gift under his arm. He looked down at his son, saw him adjusting his hold on the present. 'You need some help, big guy?'

'No!' RJ twisted away, protecting the present like he was bogarting the kobe beef from a rottweiler. 'I gotta set ah-sample. Dell say I gon' be big buh-ro, tha' my shob.'

'And heaven forbid we should question the wisdom of Dell-ai Llama,' Castle laughed, slightly disappointed no one was around to hear that one. 'Okay almost big-bro, just don't drop it.'

'I big,' RJ repeated indignantly. 'I know howa do it.'

The little boy kept his iron-clad grip on the parcel with one hand, held his daddy's with the other as they rode up the elevator and knocked on the apartment door.

'Hi-hi Shenny! Happy bur-day Dell!' RJ said triumphantly, handing over the present to Honey-Milk when she answered the door. 'It 'tay safe, Shenny, it no' buh-roken.'

'Glad to hear that, RJ. Come on in, would you like some punch?'

'Punshing no' nice.'

'No, not that kind of punch,' Honey-Milk giggled. 'It's a kind of drink.'

'Wha' kin'?'

'It has fruit juice and ginger-ale in it.' Her eyes twinkled in match-making amusement. 'Trini's here and said it is dee-lish.'

RJ's eyes widened and he raced inside, hollering for Trini to show him the punch, and to Castle's relief, the boy remembered it was his friend's birthday and they had their own pint-sized version of the manly hug. He grinned, then looked at Honey-Milk.

'Are we nuts for doing this, agreeing to watch out for these little ones for Dell's birthday?'

'No, I don't think so. Honestly, I think Dell's relieved that he has them all here for his birthday.'

'How come?' Castle asked as he followed Honey-Milk into the kitchen for their own drink while the children occupied themselves momentarily so the grown-ups could snag a couple of cold Coke bottles.

'He was having a bit of a rough time of it in the last bit of school,' Honey-Milk explained. 'A lot of the guys were talking about plans and they weren't including Dell, and because he's so much smaller they don't want him on their teams for sports at recess.'

'He'll be fine, Mom,' Castle reassured her. 'He's a tough kid whether he realizes it or not. Or you either.'

'Thanks.'

They headed for the living room, where they found the birthday boy surrounded by all the other little ones; despite the fact he was seven and the oldest of the group, Dell treated all his guests equally and was organizing them into teams for a game already.

'We are going to be play Outburst, Mister Castle,' he explained. 'And we are making teams for the little kids so they have help from the big kids.'

'That's a great idea.'

'You are supposed to use a timer but I don't think we will. The little kids get frustrated under pressure.'

'We aren't little Dell,' Tessi piped up with an expression Castle had seen Meredeth give Esposito many times. 'We are all big in some way, right Nessa?'

Nessa, the small of the party goers at just under a year old gave Tessi a little grin. 'Aye-aye!'

'You have been suh-pendin' too much time around _tio_ Cam, Nessa.'

'Dam!'

'No bad words, Nessa!' Carey gave her an evil look with his brown eye. 'You are a little lady and little ladies don't have potty mouth!'

'It is okay, C..Carey,' Tessi reminded him, proud she didn't fumble on his name, 'maybe she has a suh-tutter like me.'

'You geddin' bedda, Tessi!' Leo always felt squirmy when he heard his big sister with her small lisp. He didn't like the idea someone might tease her about it. 'You tyin' hard!'

'Thanks Leo.'

'Weckim.'

'Okay, we are gonna play the first game! Carey, Leo, Violet, Duncan and Nessa are one team, and me, Kelley, Rosie, Tessi, RJ and Trini are the other!' Dell declared. 'The first category is kinds of fruits. Ready?'

Castle and Honey-Milk shook their heads as they watched their children together, the younger ones helped by the older ones as they wore little party hats and shouted out answers for the game. Castle looked at Honey-Milk with a curious smile.

'Makes you feel a little intrusive, doesn't it?'

'Makes me feel old, too. My baby boy is already seven years old. This time seven years ago, I was grunting and sweating my way through natural childbirth and pulling out my husband's hair.'

'Quite a feat, that, considering how short it was.'

'And now we've got a whole group of them, our own little family.' Honey-Milk sniffled a little, then smiled. 'I promise I won't go soggy.'

Castle clinked his bottle of Coke with hers. 'Okay then. Let's just make gushy parental noises over our tots.'

'Now that, I can do. Dell's so excited for his cake. Meredeth made it for him, it's one of her sugar-free brownies with sugar-free butterscotch icing.'

'How do you even make sugar-free butterscotch icing?'

'That's the magic of Meredeth. Oh-oh, look at that.'

'What?'

Castle craned his neck to see around the bigger children, and could only shake his head - his son was practically glued to Trini's side, and was giving her a big hug and kiss on the cheek while telling her 'good shob' for something. 'Ah, young love.'

'Now that is most definitely not practicing to be a big brother.'

'He's been taking advice from Dell, or so I hear through our spouses,' Honey-Milk commented with a little gleeful smile. 'And something about a crash test rabbit?'

'His stuffed bunny Omeo is his placebo baby right now,' Castle explained. 'But he loves spending time with the bump. He's started calling it 'bumpy'.'

'Too cute. Hey, guys.'

The pair in question had wandered over, swinging joined hands vigorously back and forth. 'Daddy,' RJ said in his best butter-up voice.

'What are you after, my son?'

'Tah-rini come fo' a puh-lay time soon?'

'We'll have to ask Meredeth and Javi, RJ, they're in charge of Trini.'

'I good,' Trini promised, batting her big brown eyes in adoration at Castle and the writer wondered how the hell Esposito ever laid down the law with this little girl.

'Like I said, we'll have to ask your mami and daddy.'

'Mami bedda now,' Trini declared happily, then looked at Dell. 'Make-a pisher?'

'We make a pisher fo' Mer-det, Tah-rini.' RJ gave her a grin. 'She suh-mile. No be sad wit' a suh-mile.'

'Sacky, Ah-Shay. Where cay-ons?'

'In a little while, honey,' Honey-Milk promised her young guest. 'We're going to have cake and ice cream, and then watch a movie together while we all settle down for our naps.'

'Nap good too,' RJ said.

'I no nee' nap. I big,' Trini protested with an impatient little stamp of her foot and RJ gasped dramatically.

'No hissy, Tah-rini! You gon' be big sisser! You haffa set ah-sample!'

'Why?'

'It you' shob.'

'Oh. Like Daddy?'

'Sacky,' RJ replied, taking Trini back over to the rest of the game. 'He cash baddies. You be goo' fo' baby.'

Castle looked at Honey-Milk and only shook his head. 'Is it me, or did that feel a little bit like we were watching a preview of the babies as teenagers?'

* * *

><p>When they made it home in time for dinner, RJ's first insistence was that he go upstairs to find his mother; sure enough, they found her in bed with a hot cup of tea and a relaxed, sleepy smile.<p>

'Hey, there's my party monster,' she smiled. The day for herself had felt great - she'd rested, relaxed, had two Jacuzzi baths and was tucked in with her tea and a good book, just in time for her son to brighten her day. 'How was Dell's birthday, did he like his present?'

'Yes Mumum, he love it. He 'mart, he read lossa.'

'He does read a lot of books,' Beckett agreed, 'which is why we got him a copy of _Cricket in Times Square_, right?'

'Sacky.'

'Sacky?' She looked at her husband.

'He means 'exactly'. Trini taught him a new word today.'

'New word,' RJ echoed, then rubbed his mother's tummy. 'Hi-hi, bumpy, how you' day? You be goo' fo' Mumum? Heehee, it kickin' Mumum! Baby's kickin'!'

'Oh, I know, I've been feeling it all afternoon.'

'Bumpy, you lissen me, I big buh-ro. You be nice-a Mumum.' He turned his little head, like he was listening to a secret. 'Uh-huh. Uh-huh. I ask. Bumpy wan' 'ghett an' me-balls.'

'That sounds like a great idea.'


	23. The Doctor's Appointment

'Beckett?'

'Yeah?'

'I'm sorry.'

Beckett looked away from the murder board to Esposito who had the look of a sad basset hound this morning. 'For what?'

'Just apologizing in advance today in case you have another hormonal freakout.'

'I do not...okay, maybe I've been a little rough on you and Ryan, huh?' Beckett wrinkled up her nose in admission. 'Have I really been unbearable?'

'Put it this way, I was about to call the bomb squad to handle you yesterday.'

'It wasn't so much you as everything swirling into a perfect storm of hostile hormones, culminating in the little discovery I made about my father last night.'

'He's drinking again?' Esposito's teasing was dropped like a hot coal, replaced with real concern.

'No, nothing like that. He's got a new girlfriend.'

'Oh. Are you okay with that?'

'It comes and goes.' Beckett felt the baby nudge her beneath her top, and she patted the spot where what felt like an elbow had given her a little push. 'Here's the kicker, you'll never guess who it is.'

'Martha,' was his automatic response.

'Nope.' She shook her head, bit her lip to try and keep a straight face. 'Andrea's mother.'

'Andrea's moth...Agnes? Your daddy's knockin' boots with Agnes McMaster?'

'I think I just threw up a little, Detective. My dad doesn't knock boots with anyone.'

Esposito opened his mouth, then changed tactics. 'This is like one of those moments when Castle found out Alexis wasn't a virgin anymore, is it? Knowing it and _knowing_ it are two totally different things.'

'Exactly.' Beckett felt another bump in her belly. 'Tiny here agrees with me,' she added.

'Detective!'

Both looked up and answered, 'Yes sir!' to Montgomery walking out of his office; he had on his 'papa duck' face as Beckett tended to think of it. It was a look she'd seen on her own father's face when he'd caught her sneaking back into the house from a concert he'd bought her tickets for after her mother said The Foo Fighters were off limits on a school night.

'Which one did you want sir?' she asked politely.

'Both of you, actually. Esposito, how is Meredeth doing?'

'Just great, sir, the doctor's have her dosage for the hormones balanced out and she's getting excited to start decorating another nursery.'

'That's good news. No signs of complications?'

'None so far.'

'Wonderful. And you, Detective Beckett, don't you have an appointment with your baby-doc today?' Montgomery asked, turning his attention to his other officer.

'At one, sir, hence why I am not in the field today. Ryan is with Newman and Geoffs running witness canvass on the Barratt case, they should be here soon.'

'Good to know. Keep me posted on what they turn up.'

Montgomery wandered off, making Esposito shake his head. 'He's almost as bad as my mother, pretending to be all about work when he just wants personal updates. Anyways, you wanna come with to see The Cheese Whiz?'

'No, take Ryan with you once he's back. I'm sure he'll have more fun teasing Fontina over his engagement to Andrews than I would.'

'It's tradition,' Esposito said primly, 'bros must mock and tease other bros even if we ourselves are in healthy, happy relationships with good sex and better food.'

'Go,' Beckett laughed as he wandered off, then murmured to the baby, 'That's your uncle Javi and he may talk a big game but he's pretty cool.'

* * *

><p>Beckett tried her best not to fidget as she lay on her side on the doctor's exam table. It seemed that over night, she'd gone from being a watermelon smuggler to a mama whale, which had made sleeping on her back very uncomfortable. Or lying on her back at all, for the baby often like that position in order to make a pillow of her spleen or her kidneys or in one unfortunate and very embarrassing incident, her full bladder.<p>

'Mumum, you aw-fy suh-quirmy,' RJ commented from his spot on Castle's lap. 'Bumpy getting wig-guh-ly?'

'Very much so, my little prince.'

'I no'-'

'I know, you're not little anymore, but that was what I called you every since you were a baby in my arms from the moment you were born,' Beckett told her son, and watched a little glimmer in RJ's eyes.

'Oh. Like..like I say Tah-rini my see-hot?'

'Exactly like that.'

'Okay. I you' lit-tle puh-rince, Mumum. Daddy, when see my baby?'

Castle laughed, fascinated how RJ was so quick to understand things once they were put into a Trini context. 'When the doctor comes in.'

'He goo' like Shane?'

'You know it' Castle snickered, then kissed the top of his son's head. 'I love you, RJ.'

'Love you too, Daddy, lossa. And Mumum and bumpy too.'

Beckett shifted on her side to alleviate the pressure on her organs from the baby's weight. 'RJ, why are you calling the baby 'bumpy'?'

'Ah-_cause_, Mumum.' RJ fought to keep his eyes from rolling. Parents could be so silly sometimes, and they never saw the obvious. 'Baby's going bump-bump-bump in you' tum.'

'You know he gets that tone from you, right Kate?' Castle teased his wife, tickled when she actually shook her fist at him.

'Mind your step, writer-boy.'

The door opened and Harvey came in wearing his scrubs, as well as his scrub cab that was printed with dozens of 'Hello, My Name Is' badges.

'This is going to be a quickie, Kate,' he informed her. 'One of my patients is upstairs at seven centimetres and that is going to be a quick three to go for her.'

'Understood, Harvey. You remember RJ, of course.'

'Of course, this is the big brother to be?' Harvey held out his hand and RJ high-fived him.

'I paddisin' on Omeo.'

'His stuffed rabbit,' Castle explained off Harvey's confused look. 'Omeo goes with RJ almost everywhere.'

'No' ou-side, he migh' be los'. No' safe fo' bunnies.'

'No it is not. Alright, Kate, up with the cocktail dress.'

Beckett giggled as she lifted her hospital gown so the hem bunched beneath her breasts, wrinkled up her nose at the feel of the gel on her belly. 'That's so not cool when you have how many pounds of baby weight on a full bladder, Jim,' she told him.

'Daddy, whassa do'tor doin'a Mumum?' RJ asked.

'RJ, pull up a chair.' Harvey gave a jerk of his head as he prepared the machine. Normally one of his nurses would be doing this part but they were up to their eyeballs in patients that day and neither Honey-Milk nor Andrea could be spared. He gave the boy a look that told him he was needed for a very important big-brother mission, and when RJ had hopped down and pulled his chair closer, he held up the bottle of gel. 'This is to help the sonogram machine work so we can see your baby.'

'It name bumpy.'

'Bumpy?'

'It go bump-bump-bump in Mumum's tummy.'

'Ah, well then,' Harvey grinned, then gestured. 'Here, put your hand on the wand like this, and we'll see the baby together.'

Both parents got the sniffles as they watched the ever-patient doctor guide the almost three-year-old's hand with the wand so that Harvey was doing the work but RJ would think he was in the driver's seat. A few presses of the buttons and the image appeared on-screen, making Beckett and Castle's sniffles turn into full tears.

'You see that RJ?' Harvey told him softly, pointing to the outline of the head and shoulders, and the rounding stomach. 'That's your baby.'

'Really?' RJ was awestruck. 'That my bumpy?'

'That's your bumpy. Here, have a listen.'

'Bumpy talkin' too?'

'No, but there is something here you have to listen to just as important though.' Harvey flipped a switch and the room was filled with the _wob-wob-wob_ sound. 'That's the baby's heartbeat.'

'Wow!' RJ looked at his mother's stomach, back to the screen, then back to Beckett. 'Mumum, you so ah-some! Bumpy big an' suh-tong.'

'He or she sure is,' Beckett agreed.

'Do'tor, you tell me, bumpy boy o' girl?' RJ used every last drop of charm he could muster on Harvey and was slightly saddened when the answer was no. 'Bu' I good, I no' tell.'

'Think of it like Christmas,' Harvey replied, printing the photos of the sonogram and copying the recording for the proud parents. 'You know Santa is coming with presents, right?'

'An' Chanukah fo' Shane.'

'Okay, you know there's presents coming, right?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Well,' he continued, 'you don't know what those presents are, right?'

'Nuh-uh. Oh, bumpy like a puh-resent, haffa wait an' see?'

'Exactly.'

RJ frowned in concentration over this, then looked at his father. 'Daddy, how long 'till bumpy bur-day?'


	24. The Tough Stuff: 22 Weeks

_Hello everyone! Can I just take a moment to tell you all how much you rock for giving the Crumbsverse this kind of love! I know how many of your are die-hard Caskett and Esplanie fans, yet you still tell me how much you love the relationships in this universe outside of the canon of the show and that means so much to me. As always, leave your love in review form! And this one might need a tissue or two!_

* * *

><p>'Are you sure this doesn't make me look too big?'<p>

'Positive.'

Castle watched his wife fuss at the collar of her suit, knowing how much she loathed having to wear them. His wife was a surprising girlie-girl underneath that tough cop shell - when she got dressed up, she wanted it to be in a couture designer's dress that showed off her legs in ice-pick heels that were just as pricey as the dress itself. He lowered the lid of his laptop, and watched her move back and forth in the mirror.

'Seriously, Kate, you look exactly like that which you are - a brilliant cop who is five and a half months pregnant.'

'Good, because I don't want them thinking that since I'm pregnant, I'll be all weepy and emotional because of the case and-'

'Kate.'

Beckett rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, yeah, I hear it too.'

'Okay then, just as along as you know what you sound like.'

'Where's RJ?'

'In his room, he said he wanted to finish a surprise for you this morning before you left for court.'

As if on cue, the partially open bedroom door was shoved open by a little hand, and RJ came in with a piece of paper in his hand. 'Mornin' Mumum, Morning' Daddy. How bumpy today?'

'Bumpy's doing just fine sweetheart,' Beckett replied, feeling the love in her heart only a mother could for her child. 'Kinda of hungry, though.'

'Daddy, you need-a fee' bumpy. What bumpy fave-o-wit?'

'Right now, scrambled eggs with ham and cheese and peppers.'

'Daddy,' RJ instructed his father sternly, 'bumpy nee' ramble-eggs wit' sheese an' ham an' pep-pahs.'

'Coming right up, boss.' As he'd planned to make it anyways for the family, Castle had no problem this time letting his son think he was in charge. On top of which, he knew that Beckett wanted a moment alone with RJ.

Once her husband was gone from the room, Beckett turned to RJ, Omeo in one hand and the piece of paper in the other. 'So Daddy says you were making a surprise for me?'

'Uh-huh. Look, Mumum, jus' fo' you.'

He held out the paper to her, and Beckett's heart melted - it was a stick figure collage, with their family doing various activities with the new baby, like swimming and reading, and cuddling together in bed. In the bottom right hand corner was a stick-figure of RJ holding the new baby in his arms, a big smile on his face.

'This is beautiful RJ. In fact, I think when we start decorating the baby's room next week, this is going to be hanging right over the baby's crib so he or she will see it every day when they wake up and go to sleep.'

'Tha' nice.' But RJ paused a little, thrust out his lower lip in thoughtfulness. 'Mumum?'

'Yes RJ.'

'I 'till you' lit-tle puh-rince, when bumpy here?'

'Of course RJ.' Beckett had a feeling this would be coming. No child about to be an older sibling would be as totally bulletproof to insecurity about their place in the family as RJ had been up to this point. She sat on the end of the bed, patted the space beside her. When he'd climbed up, Beckett wrapped her arm around him tightly in a supportive hug.

'You are my first baby that I ever had, and nothing and no-one will ever take that away or replace that. There is going to be a lot of changes coming up once bumpy's here, but I'm going to need your help.'

'Really?'

'Oh yeah, bumpy's going to be so little, he or she will need as much love and help as you can give him or her. Just like you've been making sure that Mumum eats right and drinks her milk, bumpy's going to need that too.'

'I can do tha', Mumum. I big buh-ro, I set ah-sample.'

'Exactly.'

'Sorry fo' bein' se-fish.'

'RJ, it's okay to be uncertain about being a big brother. It's a big deal,' Beckett reminded him. 'I don't have any brothers or sisters and neither does your daddy.'

'No, tha' not tuh-rue.'

'How do you mean?'

'You say Mer-det an' Javi an' Shenny an' Ke-vin an' ev-ee-one you' buh-ros an' sissers.'

'Oh, RJ.' Now Beckett turned as best as she could and pulled him in for an even tighter hug. 'That's true, they are my brothers and sisters, just not like you and Alexis are.'

Another thought occurred to RJ. 'Lessis 'til love me too? An' Shane?'

'Of course they will, they'll be looking to you for help too, just like me and Daddy.'

'I big help, Mumum.' The little boy rubbed his hand over the bump. 'Righ' bumpy? I big help. Hee-hee-hee, bumpy movin' Mumum! Hi bumpy, it Ah-Shay, I you' big buh-ro.'

He giggled and looked up at his mother with such profound love, Beckett swore she'd never seen anyone so purely happy in her life.

'I bedda now, Mumum. Gassy.'

'Gassy?'

'It 'Panish. My Tah-rini teash me. It mean 'tanks'.'

'Oh _gracias_,' Beckett laughed. 'Okay, you're welcome.'

RJ leaned forward and gave his mother's pregnant belly a kiss, then scooted off the bed with Omeo. ' 'Mon, Omeo, we go fin' suh-nacks fo' bumpy.'

Beckett stayed where she was for a few minutes, and then pressed her hands to her mouth as she began to sob a little bit.

* * *

><p>'State calls Detective Kate Beckett to the stand, Your Honour.'<p>

Esposito, Ryan and Shane all watched as Beckett walked through the little gate, was sworn in. 'Man, I can't even imagine what it must be like for you two to be testifying on this case,' Ryan murmured to his partner.

'We're not talking about that, not until she's done.'

They watched as ADA Ian Link moved from behind the desk, approached Beckett. 'Detective, you were the lead officer on-scene the night of May twenty-seventh, correct?'

'Correct.' Beckett folded her hands on the rail in front of her, leaned forward slightly to give the jury the impression of urgency.

'Please walk us through what you found that night.'

'Myself and Detective Javier Esposito were called to two-two-six-one East Forty-Fifth Street, apartment three-G. We discovered the body of the victim, Trudy Williams, in the living room of the apartment.'

'We've heard from pathologist Doctor Weaver on the extent of Miss Williams injuries as well as cause of death. Can you elaborate on the crime scene for us?'

'There were signs of violence in the kitchen as well as the living room, but none of the other rooms were disturbed, indicating that the defendant entered the apartment, found Miss Williams in the kitchen and when she tried to escape from the kitchen to the front door via the living room, the defendant pursued her and knocked her down where he proceeded to beat her to death.'

'Was there a weapon found on scene?' Ian asked, facing the jury as he asked the question.

'Yes, there was a baseball bat. Wooden. Interviews with witnesses and neighbours confirmed that Miss Williams had purchased it for home security after a rash of break-ins in the neighbourhood.'

Ian gestured to the Louisville slugger in an evidence bag on the prosecutor's evidence table. 'Is this the same bat your CSU team took into evidence?'

'Yes. Analysis by CSU showed it to be covered in her blood, skin and hair, and the defendant's fingerprints.' Beckett took a sip of water, cleared her throat.

'Was the defendant still on scene when the first-responding officers arrived at the apartment?'

'Objection,' the defense lawyer barked, rising to his feet. 'However good a cop the witness is, she's not psychic, how could she know about a crime scene to which she hadn't yet arrived?'

'I'm asking the detective about information from the official report that was relayed to her in the proper chain of command, as per on-scene guidelines,' Ian countered smoothly, held up a hand. 'I'll rephrase out of respect for the court. Detective, please detail for us the report the first-on-scene officer gave you upon your arrival at the crime scene.'

'Officer Brent O'Reilly was the uniform officer who secured the scene. He informed me he'd secured the scene, that two other uniform officers were in charge of crowd control, and that his partner Officer Anna Sinclair had sequestered the defendant in one of the undisturbed rooms of the apartment and was standing guard over him. Upon our arrival on scene, Detective Esposito took over from Officer Sinclair while I spoke with ME Weaver about the victim and assessed the crime scene itself.'

'Did you speak at all to the defendant before or after this assessment?'

'Yes, after.'

'And what did that conversation reveal?'

'That the defendant was convinced that despite Miss Williams denials, the baby she was pregnant with was not his child, and that he wanted a post-mortem DNA test done to prove it.' Beckett rubbed her belly in protection. 'As ME Weaver detailed, and this was corroborated withnumerous interviews of Miss Williams' friends and most recent ex-boyfriend, the defendant was the father of the fourteen-week old foetus.'


	25. The Family Barbecue I

Two days later, on the heels of a guilty verdict in the Trudy Williams case, Castle was ready for a night of fun. He'd seen how hard that particular case had hit his beautiful baby mama, that a woman who'd been pregnant had been beaten to death by her boyfriend and the father of her child, and he'd done his best to keep her spirits buoyed up. He'd let her rant it out, then passed her the tissues or the ice cream when tears weren't enough, but now that the son of a bitch was spending the rest of his life in Sing Sing, they were going to a celebratory family fiesta in Chelsea.

Castle could tell too that she was ready to put it behind her, and tonight just be Kate - she had talked about it for maybe fifteen minutes when she arrived home and said she was done discussing it, then had played cards with RJ until they were getting ready to go to Meredeth and Esposito's house. The subtle definitive tone of voice she used told Castle everything he needed to know about this situation.

So he pushed RJ in his stroller up out of the subway station as Beckett walked beside him, a gentle smile on her face as she reveled in the beauty of the sinking sun in the southwest portion of the city. She looked like a yummy summer mummy tonight, no question, in her

'Kate?'

'Yes Rick?'

'You look so gorgeous tonight.'

'Aw thanks.'

'No' go-shus,' RJ commented trying to twist around and see his father. 'She bee-oo-tee-fo.'

'Gorgeous is another word for beautiful.'

'Like a sim-ma-mim?'

'Hey, check out that vocabulary!' Beckett reached her hand down with bunched up fingertips, giggled when RJ tapped his against hers. 'Who taught you that word, RJ?'

'Lessis.'

'Of course she did.'

'We goin'-a see my Tah-rini?'

'And other people too,' Castle added with a shake of his head. 'RJ, why are you so hung up on Trini Esposito?'

'She my see-hot, Daddy. Mumum you' see-hot, an' Tah-rini my see-hot.'

'If you can explain the mysteries of why we fall in love to our almost three year old, Richard, you should have been in the dating service business, not writing,' Beckett pointed out; they'd reached their destination and knocked on the door. She grinned when her equally pregnant friend and lady of the house answered. 'Hey mama!'

'Hey mama yourself!' Meredeth's round face split into a delighted smile at the sight of more people to fill up the house. She was fully recovered from her surgery now, and in full baby bloom herself, albeit slightly behind Beckett in terms of bump development.

'Mer-det! You gotta bumpy too!' RJ clapped his hands in excitement. 'Yea bumpy!'

'Bumpy?' Meredeth laughed, smooth her hand over the roundness of her tummy, and absently scratching at her scar. She felt like herself again, finally, but that little line was still there remind her what a warrior she was. 'What means bumpy?'

'Mumum, I es-puh-lain?'

'Go for it, my little prince.'

'See, Mer-det, the baby goes bump-bump-bump in Mumum's tum,' he told her, then reached out to pet Meredeth's belly. 'You goin' bump-bump-bump too?'

'No, not yet, the baby's still too small.'

'Mami!'

There was the sound of little feet coming through the kitchen, blasting past the other adults, and Meredeth held out a hand to slow Trini down. 'Easy, tiger, what's the rush?'

'Mami, Ah-Shay here! I hear'im!'

'Hi-hi my Tah-rini!' RJ's face filled with what could only be described as pure love when he saw the tiny little Dane-o-Rican who owned his heart. 'Mumum, lemme ou' puh-lease and gassy.'

'Ola, Katie. Big tum-tum like Mami!' Trini smiled winningly then grabbed RJ's wrist to drag him out the kitchen's patio doors. ' 'Mon Ah-Shay, we pay ou'side.'

Castle watched his boy go with his little girlfriend, heard her delicately bombastic voice announcing RJ was there, which brought Lanie, Cam and Jenny into the living room to greet their friends. Lanie had Finn on her hip and he was blinking his dark brown eyes as he patted his mother's shoulder.

'Mamamam,' he babbled, poked at Lanie's dangle-drop earrings. 'Mamam.'

'Yes, I know you like shiny things, just like your daddy,' she told him sweetly while making sure the infant didn't rip the earring from her lobe. Turning to Beckett she grinned. 'Stud earrings are going to be your best friend, girl.'

'I never had that problem with RJ,' Beckett commented. 'Where's your other half?'

'Dave, Kevin and Lili are outside keeping an eye on all the kids, they're playing soccer.'

'Sounds like fun. What about Esposito?'

'My man's barbecuing. He's using the Huertas family secret sauce too,' Meredeth added proudly, snagging a carrot from a tray of snacking veggies as they all went out to the miniscule backyard off the kitchen. 'Right baby?' she asked him when they stepped to the patio.

'Right what?' he asked her, giving her cheek a kiss, her belly a little good-luck rub.

'You may need a special education plan for the kitchen but you've got a p-h-d in barbecue.'

'You know it, babe. Beckett you want a hot dog, a turkey burger, a beef burger or any one of those with bacon and-or cheese?'

'Oh, too many delicious decisions. Cheese-dog and turkey-bacon,' she decided, then went to find a cold drink in the ice chest with Meredeth, Lili, and Honey-Milk welcoming her to their circle of chairs.

'You, I know if it's not moving you'll eat it,' Esposito commented to Castle, handed him a beer. Like himself, he knew the writer didn't like drinking around his wife when she couldn't join in. 'How are things going with her?'

'She's doing really well now that the case is done, but I still think that if it had gone the other way, she'd have the same sense of relief.'

'You think so?'

'I do. She...since RJ was born, it's hard for her to deal with crimes involving pregnant women, because all she can think about is her family.'

As Esposito did the same it was hard to argue with Castle's logic. 'And you?'

'And me what?'

'Are you doing okay with her?'

Castle laughed, rubbed the back of his neck and drank beer. 'I've never been prouder of her. It's weird, you know, when she was pregnant with RJ, Kate was so anxious and nervous even while she was enjoying it. This time around, she's practically dancing on the ceiling.'

'Five bucks says I know why.'

'Why don't we ask her? Hey honey!' Castle smiled at her when she came over to sniff at the grill.

'What's up, Kate?' Esposito asked her, not liking how close she was to the hot barbecue.

'Just wanted to make sure my buns are toasted.'

'Oh, the jokes I could make,' he murmured. 'Yeah, we got it covered, Kate.'

Beckett pretended to wipe her brow in relief, then looked at her husband and her fellow detective. 'You're talking about me. Out with it.'

'Just commenting on how you're much more mellow about your pregnancy this time around.'

'Yeah, because I've already had a baby so I know what it's about and I know I'm a kick-ass mumum,' she said simply with a shrug, then let her tongue fall out of her mouth when the scent of the grilling bacon hit her nostrils. 'God, keep me away, I'll eat it all.'

'I'll put another turkey burger on for you if you want,' Esposito offered.

'Okay.' Beckett kissed Castle's cheek. 'Bumpy's turned my bladder into a pillow, so I'll return shortly.'

'Okay. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Beckett waddled off - she was definitely waddling now, Castle noted - and he looked at Esposito. 'That what you were thinking?'

'Something like that.'

'Daddy!'

Tessi hollered at Esposito with a laughing shriek, and he felt a surge of fatherly protection when he saw Dell had her around the waist, tickling her in the ribs. 'Dell, take it easy, buddy,' he called over, then turned back to Castle. 'I swear to God, Rick, I want Alexis to move home.'

'Sorry?'

'Then she can teach Tessi how to fence and do taekwando and keep the boys away.'

'Shit, why not show her how to use your gun?'

'I'm not training her in firearm usage before she's in kindergarten.' Esposito paused, gave Castle a sly wink. 'That's for grade eight graduation.'

'If I were you, I'd be more concerned about RJ sniffing around Trini.'

He pointed to where RJ and Trini had dropped out of the soccer match and were playing cards with Duncan and Violet on the edge of the lawn. The way the tots giggled and sent each other furtive little glances made Esposito's eyebrows knit together.

'They're both flirts and couldn't keep a secret if they glued their lips together. Tessi is quieter, and those are always the ones to watch.'

'That's what they say about serial killers.'


	26. The Family Barbecue II

Dinner was delicious, as was the standard in Meredeth Esposito's kitchen - with Esposito's barbecued meat and roasted corn on the cob, Meredeth's Caesar salad, her German potato salad, fruits and veggies, and Lili contributing her mother's _arepas de coco_, everyone feasted and feasted well. As Castle moved through the kitchen, he grinned at the snippets of conversation he heard.

'Little bites, Duncan, you're not a beaver.'

'Did you see his interview with Anderson Cooper? It was freaky!'

'No way, there's no possible way he's going to start Herschel!'

'Mama, may I try some?'

'No mooshin' atta table!'

As the last comment came from his own son, who was seated in the living room between Trini and Leo, Castle sat on the couch beside Meredeth, who had clearly just given Esposito a kiss. 'RJ, swallow before you talk.'

'O-kay!' RJ dutifully gulped down the mouthful of his hot dog, then glared at Esposito. 'Javi, you gotta 'memer manners.'

'Manners?' Esposito gave him a considering look. 'Well, then young man, if it's a question of manners, perhaps I should have you ask me if it's okay to call Trini your sweetheart.'

'It okay, Daddy.' Trini patted RJ's shoulder awkwardly. 'He coo'.'

'No, Tah-rini, it 'bout manners.'

To Castle's amusement, along with Meredeth's as well, RJ stood up and thrust his open hand out at Esposito. 'I a shennel-man, Javi.'

'Good to know, my pint-size bro.' Esposito shook the little guy's hand. 'Trini, you done sweetheart?'

'No, it okay, Javi, I help her.' RJ picked up Trini's empty plate and she gave him a gooey smile.

'Gassy, Ah-Shay.'

'No pob-ah-lem, Tah-rini.'

He walked into the kitchen; when he was gone, Meredeth swallowed her own mouthful of potato salad, then looked at Castle. 'He really is a gentleman huh?'

'Hey strangers!'

The trio of grownups looked over, saw Ryan with a mushroom burger half eaten, half in his cheeks. 'Hey bro, feels like it's been awhile! Last saw you fifteen minutes ago getting burgers, right?'

'Funny guy. So I was talking to Jenny,' he said after gulping down the mouthfuls stored in his cheeks, 'and Cameron, and we were thinking of maybe having an all-ages bros night.'

'Excuse me?'

'Next poker night, we should bring the second-generation bros to have their own Go Fish tourney or something.'

'Actually, that's a genius idea, because I want to throw a girls-only baby shower for Beckett before the baby comes, and Leo wouldn't feel like he's being shunned,' Meredeth agreed, then pouted when she discovered she had no more potato salad. 'Javi?'

'Of course, baby.'

'_Gracias, cari.'_

Esposito groaned playfully. 'You know what that does to me, Mere,' he whispered to her, kissing her cheek and earning RJ's wrath once more.

'Javi! We talk 'bout it! No mooshin' atta table!'

'Get used to it pal,' he replied. 'That's what happens when you're in love.'

'Sacky,' Trini agreed, nodding, then leaned over and pecked RJ on the cheek. 'See? Love Ah-Shay.'

'Tah-rini,' RJ muttered, going red as the ketchup on his hot-dog. He turned to Leo sitting beside him. 'She you' tah-win, say sum-pin.'

'Tee-nee, pay nice. Daddy, where Nessa?'

'Oh, they couldn't come, Leo-Lion, they went to visit Nessa's papa in New Rochelle,' Esposito told his son, swore in his head when he saw his son's face fall in disappointment. 'But they'll be visiting soon.'

'You missing your sweetheart?' Castle teased the little boy.

'No! Nessa my odder sisser!'

'Ah, I see. Well, speaking of sweethearts.'

He leaned back when he saw Beckett come out of the kitchen towards him with a huge slab of strawberry shortcake. He eyes went wide at the sight of it. 'Is that Heart of Chelios?'

'Nuh-uh.' Beckett shook her head playfully and dug into her dessert. She needed it to cure her monster sugar-fix. 'Just the regular stuff.'

'Didn't you get any chocolate sauce for it?' Meredeth asked.

'Didn't want it, this baby isn't much of a chocolate hound.'

'This one is.' She rubbed her own belly. 'Right baby? Oh!'

'Mere?' Esposito froze, then watched the smile on her face, felt one spread over his own. 'The baby's moving?'

'Uh-huh!'

'Mer-det, baby's moving? Goin' bump-bump-bump?' RJ asked, watching her with excitement.

'You betcha, RJ.'

'Yea!' Without thinking twice, RJ turned to Trini and hugged her, then Leo. 'Yea bumpy! Gotta fin' Tessi!'

'O-kay! Tessi! Tessi, bumpy movin!' Trini hollered as she grabbed RJ and her brother's hands and tugged them towards the kitchen.

'Well, looks like my boy done did it,' Beckett laughed, setting down her cake and leaning over to hug her friend. 'Congrats, girl, you really deserve it.'

'Thanks.' There was a small sparkle of tears in Meredeth's eyes and since the children were gone, she let a few fall. 'Oh, I just...I know it seems so selfish that I'm carrying on like this when it's our fourth baby, but-'

'Nonsense.' Castle got his turn for a hug in now, cupped Meredeth's cheek just like he would if it were his own daughter. There was something about Meredeth that always made him feel more fatherly than brotherly. 'Any baby is a gift and should be celebrated, perhaps even especially when their mama goes through hell to make sure they stay safe.'

Meredeth gave him and Beckett a watery smile, then looked at her husband. 'Now can I ask them, Javi?'

'Sure,' he laughed, 'and you wonder where Tessi gets it from.'

'Ask us what?' Beckett looked from one face to the other.

'We would like you to stand as godparents for this baby.' Esposito rubbed his hand over Meredeth's newly-moving bump. 'Meredeth said after she got home from the hospital that when she was starting to get down on herself, she remembered what you said, Kate, about getting through the tough times and it helped her stay positive on her recovery.'

'So much so that they've worked it out so I can still be in _Spring Awakening_. I leave next Tuesday for a week upstate where they're filming.'

'What about the kids?' Castle asked, ready to offer up the loft as a little hotel.

'Tessi's coming with me, and Lili and Cam are going to Puerto Rico, to the family farm with Alejandro and Rosalita,' Meredeth said. 'Esposito and Arturo will be batching it for a few days.'

'Yeah, where's the dog?'

'Upstairs, he's on new arthritic meds so he's a little sleepy. He's getting old,' Meredeth pouted. 'I still think of him as a puppy but he's an old man now.'

'Mami!'

They all glanced over, saw Tessi with her blue eyes dancing and long, loose black curls flying behind her as she scurried in. 'Trini and RJ said that the baby started moving! Can I see?'

'Of course, sweetie, here, come have a feel.'

Beckett watched her friend wave her daughter over, and how the little girl giggled at the movements under her mother's top. 'Pretty neat stuff, huh Tessi?'

'Yes it is, I think it is going to be another little brother.' Tessi pursed her lips in concentration, looked over at Beckett. 'Katie, where is Alexis and Shane? How c-come they are not here?'

'Oh, Alexis had to go back to New Jersey because her medical school classes start on Monday, so Shane rented a car to drive her there himself and he is spending the weekend with her.'

'Shane loves Alexis very much, huh? They going to have a baby soon too?'

'No, I don't think so, darling,' Esposito laughed, 'Alexis has to finish school to be a doctor first.'

'Then they have a baby?'

'Probably,' Beckett replied, sharing Esposito's laugh. 'Hey, Tessi, you want to feel the other baby on its way for the family?'

'Okay!'

'Listen to you, big girl, with all those hard c's and k's,' Castle commented as Beckett took the little girl's hands and moved them around on her belly. 'You're getting very good at those.'

'I have been getting help from a special kind of doctor. She takes care of people who can't speak too well.'

'Cook hooked us up with Doctor Whitfield, she's a great speech pathologist,' Meredeth said, plucking a strawberry off the top of Beckett's slice of cake, and sighed. 'Mmm, yummy. Javi-'

'Yeah, I got it.'

He kissed Meredeth's head, then Tessi's and headed off to find dessert for his baby mama, leaving them both in good company. Tessi, for her part, was just as fascinated by Beckett's baby bump as she was by her mother's. When she felt the little one give Beckett a good hard kick in the side, she gasped.

'Oh, Katie, it's really moving in there! Does it hurt when that happens?'

'A little bit, sometimes, but that's part of being a mama-to-be.' Beckett smiled, then looked at Meredeth. 'Or a godmama to be too.'


	27. The RJ Reassurance: 25 Weeks

'Oh, come on kid, seriously?'

Beckett sat up in bed, turning on the bedside table light and rubbing her belly. 'I peed twice before bed, why are you giving me hell?'

She swung her feet to the floor, padded to the ensuite to do her thing, then because the baby decided it was time for a midnight round of yoga and disco dancing she headed downstairs for something to drink.

'In one end and out the other,' she murmured. 'But at least I don't have to feel guilty about a bedtime snack.'

In the kitchen she turned on one of the lights in a low glow while she perused the contents of the refrigerator. There was leftover Chinese, but leftover Chinese was a breakfast food, as well as tonnes of vegetables cut into bite-size snacks, a bag of apples, some orange juice and a few of Meredeth's smoothies. The apples would be fun, but she wanted something hot. Something with some kick.

'Pizza,' she sighed, rubbing her belly where the baby was twisting away. 'What you think, tiny, that a good idea?'

As the baby bumped around inside her uterus - RJ had that one right, it seemed - she turned on the kettle for some tea. Lili had hooked her up there, being a prolific tea drinker herself, and given her some delicious rooibos fruit teas. The lemon always seemed to help her sleep when she was wakeful because of the baby, so she got out the box, paced the kitchen as she waited for the water to boil. When it was ready, she took the cup to the kitchen table where she'd left her laptop and began to look up pizza places that had late night delivery.

'Katie?'

She glanced up, saw Castle coming down the stairs; his hair was sticking up at right angles to his head, and he was grinding the heel of his right hand into his eye to try and clear it of sleep. 'Hey, Rick.'

'It's after one, why are you up?'

'Had to pee, and now I'm hungry and making tea.'

'I'll make you something. What do you want?'

'Pizza of some kind. Or another kind of doughy baked bread. I want something chewy.'

'Okay. I can help you out there.'

Castle went to the cupboard, took out bread, then the refrigerator for other ingredients. 'You can have a snack and then back to bed. We're going to have a full house tomorrow. Everyone's going to be here.'

'Does that mean Agnes too?'

'No,' he laughed, 'my mother, your father, our future son in law, and our firstborn.'

'I- Didn't Alexis just go back to Princeton?'

'Two weeks ago. She passed her boards for the therapy practicum, remember? She'll be doing that advanced placement in a clinic here in town so she'd be coming back for the weekend anyways.'

'How...no, I'm not even going to ask how it works since my brain can't retain that much right now. Between hormones and lack of sleep, thanks for that one too,' she added to the bump, 'I probably won't be able to understand it.'

'Alexis' school does partnerships with clinics in New Jersey and New York, and they are putting her in the Van Hoyt Medical Complex up near your dad's place for a total of six weeks this semester. She starts the first week on Monday.'

'Right. See I knew that, and yet-'

'Kate, it's okay,' Castle reminded her. 'She had to tell me four times before it stuck.'

'Right.' Rather than focus on it, Beckett lifted her nose to sniff at the air. 'Mmm, that is divine, what are you making me?'

'Turkey club. Why don't you take your tea over to the living room, get off your feet while I'm cooking it up for you?'

Beckett took the pot and her cup over to the couch, where she stretched out on her side, one of the throw pillows under her head. She was hungry but exhausted, so she'd just close her eyes for a few minutes, she reasoned.

By the time Castle had her sandwich ready, he took the plate over to the table and wasn't at all surprised to see her fast asleep. He stroked his knuckles over her cheek, brushing back a lock of hair from her face that was fluttering with every exhale she gave. 'My sweet Katie,' he murmured, then kissed her temple softly. 'Kate? Honey, you still hungry?'

'Hmmm?'

'You fell asleep waiting for this deliciousness.' Castle tapped the edge of her plate. 'You want me to wrap it up, you can have it for breakfast?'

'No. That's the beauty of being pregnant, you are ready for a snack any time of day.' As if to prove her point, her stomach gave an enormous gurgle. 'See? It's always snacktime for Junior.'

She was just about ready to take a big-ass bite when she heard the cry upstairs from RJ's room.

'Mumum! Daddy!'

In a flash Beckett was on her feet and sprinting up to his room. RJ was rarely wakeful, even when he dreamed in the night, so if he was awake and crying for his parents, it had to be a real nightmare.

She went into his room, saw him squeezing Omeo as tight as he could as fat tears dripped down his cheeks. 'RJ, my little prince, what's wrong?'

'I duh-reamin', Mumum, 'carey things.'

'What scary things?'

'You an' Daddy can' fin' bumpy. Like...like Alessis can' find baby.'

Beckett closed her eyes, turned her face away for a moment so RJ wouldn't see the stunned look there, then turned back to look at him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, wiping away his tears. 'Richard James Castle, you listen to me. This baby, your bumpy, isn't going anywhere. The doctors have said he or she is perfectly healthy. Lex's baby wasn't and that's why it died.'

'You shoo?'

'I'm a hundred and one percent sure.'

'O-kay.' RJ rubbed his hand over the belly. 'No mo' 'carin' me, okay bumpy?'

'Everything okay up here?' Castle stuck his head in the door, and Beckett shook her head.

'I think he could use a hug from his daddy. He dreamed I couldn't find the baby, like Alexis.'

'Oh.' Castle understood what she meant perfectly, so he sat down when Beckett stood up, and gave RJ a hard hug against his body. 'The baby is just fine, RJ. It's okay to be a little worried, but we would know by now if there was something wrong with your bumpy.'

'Dotta say so?'

'That's right the doctor would say so. You want to come and stay with me and Mumum for a little bit?'

'Yes puh-lease. Omeo too.'

'Omeo too.'

* * *

><p>'Mumum, you be cay-fo wit' my bumpy!'<p>

'Yes, your majesty,' Beckett laughed as she folded little white onsies on the couch. She was more than a little irritated she wasn't going to get to see this part of the nursery done, but she knew exactly how it would look when finished. The walls would be a sunny leaf green with an apple tree painted on the wall near the crib. Once more Esposito had hooked them up with a beautiful crib courtesy of his wood-working friend; while some might have guessed that a new crib for the new baby was a little excessive when they had RJ's in perfect condition still, Beckett had insisted as she wanted both her naturally-born babes to have their own family heirlooms to pass to their children when the time was right.

Focusing on the task in front of her, she watched as RJ folded the little infant-sized washcloths with the utmost precision. 'Okay, they're bath-items, RJ not Hermes scarves.'

'Haffa be 'pishal fo' bumpy.'

'Okay then, we'll make it special for bumpy.'

'Uh-huh. Lessis!'

Beckett glanced up, saw Alexis come down the stairs with her red hair flying out from under her paint-splattered bandana. She went to the fridge, came up with a couple bottles of cold beer, a Reed's ginger beer and a juice box. 'Hey guys, how goes the wardrobe prep for the baby?'

'Bumpy, Lessis,' RJ informed her, 'it name bumpy.'

'Oh, because it keeps going bump-bump-bump inside Mom's tummy?' Alexis guessed, and RJ nodded vigorously.

'Sacky. Wha's goin' on up-tairs?'

'We are painting bumpy's room but Mom can't be up there, the smell of paint isn't good for bumpy.'

'No.' He shook his head vigorously, then gestured to the baby clothes. 'We follin' socks an' towas.'

'Thirsty work, no doubt.' Alexis jabbed the straw into the juice box - apple, RJ's favourite - handed it to him, then twisted off the metal top of the Reed's ginger beer for Beckett. 'Spiced apple, right?'

'Oh, yum.'

'Gassy, Lessis. You an' Shane 'tay fo' suh-nack-time?'

'Oh, yeah, we're going to stay for snacktime. We have big news to share with everyone.'

'You be a mumum too, Lessis? Shane be daddy an' you be mumum?'

'No,' she laughed. 'But something just as exciting.'

'Nuh-uh, baby mos' 'citin'.'


	28. The Steps Forward

As the paint was still too fresh to be safe for a pregnant woman, Castle wasn't surprised when Jim suggested they all go out for a bite of dinner. He was a little surprised, though, when he heard his father-in-law say they should make it a true family night and have Agnes, Andrea, Daniel and Nessa there as well.

'You think that would be too weird?' Jim asked Castle as they tidied up the paint cans, sealing them and opening the windows of the baby's room to let the air in for quicker drying.

'Well...I don't know,' he replied honestly, 'on the one hand it would be a nice way to show Agnes is an important part of your life, but on the other hand, it might seem like you're trying too hard to be one big happy family, you know?'

'I see what you mean. We could always ask, or would that seem like I'm asking my daughter's permission?'

'I think that would be a wise move, since you were keeping it from her for four months, that you don't want things to be weird anymore.'

'I'm a grown man with grandchildren asking if my daughter is okay with me inviting my girlfriend and her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter to dinner. What part of that is any kind of normal?'

Castle laughed, tilted his head side to side in consideration. 'You do have a point, Big Jim. Still, I don't think it would hurt to ask Kate.'

'Ask me what?'

Both men glanced up, and Jim was at the entrance to the nursery in a flash, guiding Beckett away from the room. 'Sweetie, it's not good for you to be around this paint.'

'I know, I'm already having a sleepover at Lanie's,' she reminded him. 'Ask me what?'

'Ah, we - Rick and I - were discussing and thinking that we should all have dinner out tonight. Including Agnes and her family.'

'Oh. I see.'

'I understand if it's too weird for you, but-'

'No, no, I think that's a great idea. If you and she are going to be together for awhile, we're going to be including her in the family so we should make her feel welcome, right?' Beckett reasoned and Jim's heart unclenched.

'Exactly. I'll call her and let her know.'

Beckett laughed as she turned into her bedroom, put together her clothes to stay two nights at Lanie's apartment. She'd been so caught up with work and her family that she felt like she hadn't had a proper girls night with her bestie in ages. Of course, it was also partly due to Lanie still being on maternity leave and using the summer months to spend quality time with her father and her in-laws so Carey and Violet and Finn could see their blood cousins. But it was water under the bridge, as they were going to have a fun night together doing awesomely girlie things; Lanie was a champ at awesomely girlie things.

As she came out of the ensuite with her overnight toiletries bag, she stopped and pressed a hand to her heart when she saw her father there. 'Dad, you scared me!'

'I'm sorry Katie-Lou, I just wanted to make sure you're really okay with me inviting Agnes and not putting on a happy face for my sake.'

'Daddy, really, it's fine. I like Agnes, and it's not even like I'm feeling you are betraying Mom or something. It's just...why did you think you had to hide something important from me? That's the part that had me the most upset, that you didn't think you could trust me enough. And I know, I know,' Beckett waved a hand even before Jim opened his mouth, 'we talked about this and I thought we'd already settled it. She is a lovely lady, and she makes you happy.'

'Well then.' Jim's voice went gruff at the sound of his daughter's support, if not yet approval. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, then yanked them out when she picked up her overnight bag. 'Here, let me do that, sweetheart.'

'I'm going to be carrying it to the elevator and the car and up Lanie's elevator, Daddy.'

'Let be be the overbearing parent for just a moment.'

Since he looked so happy to help, Beckett followed him out and down the stairs to the living room where Alexis and RJ were tidying up his toys while Shane and Castle looked at something on Castle's laptop.

'Here we are, Mama's all set for her sleepover,' Jim announced. 'Where'd Martha go?'

'Her understudy for her night off has food poisoning, so she was called to the theatre,' Castle informed them. 'And Andrea's working until nine, so it'll be us, Agnes, Daniel and Nessa.'

'Yea! Nessa haffin' dinner wit' us!' RJ crowed from the living room, dumping his toys into the bright blue bin that was kept downstairs for his easy access. 'She pidy like Alessis.'

'Aw thanks, RJ,' Alexis held out her hand for a high-five.

'Now I know-a se-cuh-ret?'

'Nope, we're waiting until everyone is there, that includes Poppy Jim's new girlfriend.'

At this news, RJ looked scandalized. 'Gil-fin? Mumum, Poppy Shim haffa gil-fin?'

'He does, and you know her well too, RJ. It's Nessa's nana.'

'Miss A'nes?' His eyes went wide. 'He gonnna moosh atta table?'

'RJ schooled Javier Esposito a couple of weeks ago on good manners and that means no kissing at the dinner table,' Beckett explained to the confused Alexis. 'He thinks it's bad manners.'

'Save mooshin' fo' dessert,' RJ added sternly, then rubbed his mother's belly. ' 'Mon, bumpy, it suh-nack time!'

* * *

><p>Dinner proved to be far less dicey an affair than Castle had anticipated. He knew his wife was still coming to grips with the idea of her father having a girlfriend no matter how okay she said she was with it, not to mention the fact their oldest girl was planning her wedding to a man only seventeen months younger than Beckett herself, and actually older than Meredeth Esposito by nearly a year while the nearly three year old babbled like a little monkey to the baby bump his mother sported.<p>

To call it mind-boggling was a little bit of an understatement.

They opted to go to Bamboo Garden, as Beckett could have unlimited salad and veggies to go with the copious amounts of turkey and beef she was consuming to grow their little dumpling inside and RJ and Nessa could have their curiosity and appetites satisfied simultaeneously. As the adults were all fond of Asian food, it was an easy sell.

The moment they were seated and waiting for their drinks to arrive, RJ pounced. 'Now share, Alessis?'

'Okay, now we'll share.'

'Shah?' Nessa looked at her second-favourite redhead after her mother, then her father. 'Shah?'

'Yes, Nessa,' Daniel laughed. 'Alexis is sharing a secret now.'

'Oh right, Jim mentioned you have news, Alexis.' Agnes' eyes twinkled with the anticipation of gossip. 'Come now, don't be stingy.'

Alexis sent Shane a gleeful, giddy smile he mirrored and let a little 'whoo' of her breath. 'I just found out this week, yesterday really, that I have been selected as part of an internship program for the youth counseling pilot project being run by the NYPD in conjunction with the American Psychology Association!'

'Oh, congratulations honey!' Castle held out his fingertips across the table since he couldn't give her the hug he wanted to; that would come in a moment when they stood up to fill their buffet plates. 'Is that why you had to sit your boards so early?'

'Uh-huh. It's a twelve week program done in three four week sessions,' she explained at a babbling gallop, 'and it will have group and one-on-one sessions with children in Manhattan juvenile detention centres as part of their rehabilitation.'

'So, if you don't mind me saying as the cop here, how is it different than the other therapy programs in place already?' Beckett asked, and to her relief, Alexis didn't deflate in spirit. In fact she puffed up even more, if that were possible.

'Because most focus on the kids who are newly arrived, and I'll be working with kids who are going to be facing early release or who have served their time and are making the transition back into society. Those kids who get the therapy and then have no follow up once their out are usually the ones that fall through the cracks and become recidivists.'

'Tell them the best part,' Shane added.

'The best part, oh God, the best part, it counts towards teachable hours for my degree in addition to my clinical hours I'm already accumulating, so I'll be in consideration for a service award!'

'Look at you rocking this out,' Daniel exclaimed, leaned around Shane to brush at her shoulders. 'Lemme get that diamond dust for you, there.'

'And that's not all,' Shane added with an equally gleeful grin. 'We've managed to do some wedding planning as well, and we've got our first down payment done.'

'Oh?' Intrigued, everyone leaned forward at the table.

'We've got our honeymoon booked and our date at my synagogue confirmed as well. We'll be married next July on the eighth, and then we're spending a week in Bermuda followed by a week in Italy.'


	29. The Radar Blip: 26 Weeks

'Hey honey, how was the life of crime today?'

Castle glanced up from his laptop as he finished up reading an article on lost cargo ships for his very first international Nikki Heat mystery. She looked tired, but not exhausted, which meant he knew that his spies - or as he preferred to think of them, his guardian angels undercover - made sure she behaved herself while out in the field. On the floor beside him, RJ was building some kind of block tower with Omeo overseeing his labours.

'We might have caught a break on the Helena Roland homicide. It went cold back in July thanks to all the bureaucratic red tape to jump through concerning her estate.' Beckett set down her purse, her file bag. 'I'll need to go over the notes once the young one's in bed. Hi RJ,' she added, coming over and seeing her son lost in his activity. 'No kiss for me and bumpy today?'

'Hi Mumum, hi bumpy, I gotta finch!' RJ said in a desperately impatient tone.

'You have to finish? What are you making?'

'Empy 'Tate Biddin', Mumum. Omeo wanna see it.'

'You're making the Empire State Building?' Beckett asked with an incredulous giggle. 'How do you know what that is?'

'I say, Daddy what a big biddin'. He say Empy 'Tate Biddin', he show-a pisher too. I make fo' Omeo wit' Legos.'

'A regular old-boys club, huh?'

'Sacky! Annnnnnn...da-da!'

RJ got to his feet, spread his hands with a flourish. 'Washa think, Mumum?'

'I think Omeo's very lucky to have such a caring big brother.' She turned to Castle, gave him a kiss. 'Hello, dear.'

'You're awfully giddy tonight,' Castle commented, gave her an eyebrow wiggle. 'To what might we attribute that?'

'A combination of a possible break in a cold case and the promise of some grown-up time with you tonight. Preferably in a hot Jacuzzi tub with a cold drink and lots of bubbles.'

'Mumum, I have a bubba-bat' too?' RJ asked, holding Omeo close so he could inspect the Lego structure in the living room. 'Bubba-bat' lossa fun.'

'Of course, honey,' Beckett replied. 'And then it's Mumum and bumpy's turn for bubbles when you go to bed.'

'Oh! Silly Ah-Shay!' RJ clapped his hand to his forehead, rounded the table to pat his mother's ever-growing tummy. 'Hi-hi bumpy! I no' fo-geddin' you! Mumum be-have to-day?'

He giggled when he felt the bumpity-bumpy beneath his hands. 'Mumum, bumpy gettin' so big! When we see dotta pisher 'gain?'

'Next week,' Castle informed his son, so Beckett had a chance to catch her breath. 'And do you know what's happening this weekend?'

'What?'

'We're going to a party for Kevin and Jenny, remember?'

'Oh yea!' RJ, ever a party animal, clapped his hands. 'We go dancin'? I dance wit' my Tah-rini?'

'Of course, and she'll be wearing a pretty dress. But just remember to be friendly to everyone, okay?'

'I a shennel-man, Daddy. I be nice-a all gils.'

Castle heard Beckett try to turn her laugh into a cough. 'Of course you are, RJ. Right now, you feel like a small snack?'

'Uh-huh, me an' bumpy gonna have milk an' cookies!'

'That's not a healthy supper for bumpy,' Beckett informed her son as he tugged on her hand to pull her to her feet and towards the kitchen table. 'Bumpy wants spinach salad and buffalo chicken sandwiches tonight.'

'What a buff-lo shicken?'

'It's chicken we cook with a very spicy sauce named after Buffalo New York, the city where it was invented. And bumpy likes spicy foods.'

'Oh. It okay fo' you' tummy?'

She nodded in agreement. 'It's okay for my tummy.'

'Okay. 'Mon Daddy, bumpy need suppa!'

Later, when she'd had her fill of dinner and her son, and they'd made love in their Jacuzzi tub as promised, Beckett sat in her pyjamas cross-legged on her bed with the case-file on Helena Roland spread around her.

'So what, pray tell, did you stumbled across with the Roland case?' Castle asked her, passing her a hot cup of tea so she wouldn't get a chill after being in the steaming water.

'Financial records for something called Big Apple's Bookworm Foundation. It's a charity that fund-raises for library and book-exchange programs in lower income parts of the city. Before Helena came on the board, they were under investigation for fraudulent business practices.'

'Uncovering embezzlement's a hell of a motive for murder,' Castle pointed out.

'There's a reason it's a classic,' Beckett agreed. 'Maybe I can snag Geoffs or Newman on this. They could use the practice on the cold cases for their own careers, not just in conjunction to Karpowski. For now, it's time for bumpy to have a break before bed.'

She set aside her tea, scooped up the casefile and put it on the bedside table. 'And bumpy knows just how to unwind.'

* * *

><p>'What do you think, guys, think she'll like it?'<p>

'Oh yeah, it's going to be a great night, Ryan.'

Beckett smiled at her fellow detective in the rear-view mirror as she, Esposito and the blushing groom to be-again talked vow-renewal shop-talk on their way to their crime-scene. 'Jenny is a wonderfully lucky lady to have such a thoughtful husband.'

'Hey, I do plenty for my wife too you know,' Esposito chipped in with a cheeky smile. 'But right now it's Kevin's turn to be in the hot seat.'

'And considering you were off for a little while, I know you want to have a chance at making up some lost time,' Ryan added.

'I know. Mere's been going through her nesting stage, and I apparently have a tendency to mess it up, whatever 'it' is.'

'You also know that it's a phase of pregnancy and that you are probably going to get laid after she's done being fussy,' Beckett reminded him; her comment had her partners' eyebrows winging up.

'Quite the statement coming from you, Beckett,' Ryan noted, not bothering to add what he and Esposito both knew - someone had gotten some sugar with her morning breakfast burrito He put it away as they stopped outside the building, switched from being fun and slightly geeky Kevin to Detective Ryan along with his fellow cops as they left the Crown Vic and went into the little hot-spot that resembled a library with a nice cafe. Outside the main entrance was the same cop from the Helena Roland scene - Officer Cruz, in her starchy looking uniform despite the end-of-August heat. Her presence had something pinging in Beckett's brain, not only the cop part of her but the mother in her too that made her put her hands on her belly and give it a protective pat for an extra second.

'Good morning Detectives,' she said in her lisping accent when she saw the trio from the Twelfth approach.

'Officer Cruz. What's the bullet?'

'Thomas Nichols, fifty-five, owner of Books and Bites.' She pulled out her scratch-pad and read off the information. 'He was found by the morning clerk, Veronica Keith, when she unlocked the store and decoded the night security system. She stepped in something slippery, thought it was the night-closer's leftover mop-water then she saw Mister Nichols lying there, so she called nine-one-one, relocked the door and waited for us out front.'

'You're getting more comfortable with your notes,' Beckett commented, rubbing her belly as the baby did loop-de-loops inside. 'Has OCME reported?'

'Yeah, it's Pearlmutter himself this morning.'

At least they had that, Beckett thought as her radar blip-blipped a little bit. 'Is your pal Brennan around?'

'Yeah, he has the clerk Veronica under wraps on the side patio. Why?'

'Because he is going to earn himself some brownie-points, that's why. Can you have him report to me?'

'Of course.'

Cruz scuttled off, which had Esposito looking at Ryan and Beckett with confusion. 'Something I missed?'

'Sort of. Ryan, can you head inside to Pearlmutter while I catch Espo up?'

Ryan nodded, sprinted inside, while Beckett stayed with his other half on the sidewalk. 'Javier,' she said in a soft voice, 'I think we need to keep an eye on Cruz.'

'On Cruz?'

'Uh-huh. This is the second home invasion where Cruz and Brennan have been first on scene. That smacks of something to me, but I just don't know yet.'

Esposito sucked in air through his nose deeply, nodded subtly. 'How do we play it?'

'We keep it to ourselves for now and do our jobs. I want you to get whatever you can from Cruz, and she's pretty shiny-eyed. She gets hero-complex crushes easily from what I saw the last crime scene.'

'Really?'

'Well, she was getting all starry-eyed when she said Shane Weaver was the last ME on-scene.' Beckett rubbed her belly protectively. 'I informed her he was not up for grabs.'

'As a detective or a mommy?'

'Zip it, Espo, and take care of it.'

'Yes ma'am,' Esposito chuckled, wondering if Beckett was aware of just how coated in mommy she was this morning.


	30. The Vow Renewal I

_Hello my Crumbsians! So this chapter is the first of three parts as to why it was called Cake Crumbs Redux - in the Crumbsian timeline it has been 8 years since Ryan showed up at the precinct with his news that he and Honey-Milk eloped! As always I love your feedback! Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>On Saturday morning, as he had a much easier time of getting ready for the ceremony than his pregnant wife Castle was RJ duty and he knew this would be one battle of wills he would win, come hell or high water. RJ loved to party but much like Dell, he would rather be a streaker before putting on a tie.<p>

'RJ, you can fuss and squirm all you want,' Castle informed the toddler with a set-in-stone authority as he laid out the suit on the foot his son's bed, 'but you are going to be wearing a suit for the ceremony for Ryan and Jenny today.'

'Why?' he whined. 'I no' wanna! I no' like it!'

'Tough. I don't always like having to wear a suit all the time either but we have to do things we don't always like to some days.'

'No' fair. I go ask Mumum,' RJ decided and stomped on the spot in what was nearly a tantrum when Castle grabbed his arm to stop him. 'No! Leggo , Daddy! I gonna ask Mumum!'

'Richard James Castle, knock it off.'

'No!'

'Fine, then you stay here, alone and you don't get to see Trini,' Castle said simply, pulling out the heavy artillery.

The words had the desired effect, as RJ's little face went from tempestuous red to horrified white in the blink of an eye. 'No, I no' wanna make Tah-rini sad! No Tah-rini tears!'

'Well, then you know what you have to do.'

His lower lip still jutted out in a monstrous pout, RJ relented and lifted up a leg, let his daddy help him get dressed and brush his hair. When he was in his Sunday best, Castle took him over to the full-length mirror beside the bureau. 'Okay, now do you think it's worth it, my main man?'

'Wow, Daddy, I fancy. I gonna be er-sisible.'

'You're going to be what?'

'Er-sisible! Shane say Alessis er-sisible. It mean she puh-retty an' he love Alessis.'

'Oh, _irresistible_,' Castle said aloud, realizing what Shane meant. 'RJ, you are way too little for anyone to find you irresistible.'

'No I not. Tah-rini say 'love Ah-Shay' all-a time.'

'Yes, but...Oh God, it's too early for this conversation in more ways than one,' Castle sighed, unable to do anything but laugh about it. 'Okay, let's go show Mumum how irresistible you are.'

'Wai' Daddy.' RJ went back to his bed, gave Omeo a kiss on his stuffed cheek and tucked up the sheets around his bunny. 'You be goo' Omeo. I see soon, I have lossa 'tories. O-kay, we go fin' Mumum, Daddy.'

Castle followed his son to go find Beckett, and discovered her in her underwear and her support stockings on the end of the bed, staring at her dress on the hanger with a mutinous glare. 'Katie-Lou?' he asked cautiously.

'Mumum, why so guh-rumpy?' RJ asked.

'Because Mumum's afraid she won't look pretty in her dress because bumpy's too big,' she explained patiently, though her patience was straining at its leash.

'Don' be silly, Mumum, you al-ways puh-retty.' RJ walked over, patted her hand, then did a little spin for her. 'See? I no' wanna duh-ress up, but I er-sisible now!'

'Er-sisible?' Beckett looked at Castle with an amused question in her eyes, making him laugh a little more.

'Irresistible. Shane taught it to him.'

'Of course he did.'

'Mumum, you gonna be so puh-retty,' RJ encouraged her, poking her in the stomach. 'You puh-lay nice, bumpy.'

For reasons unknown to her, RJ's comment to the foetus had Beckett standing up and taking the dress of the hanger. It took a little manoeuvring but she managed to get the silk and chiffon concoction over her body, zipped up with assistance from her husband before she looked in the mirror - and let out a contented sigh.

'Okay, you're right RJ,' she told him, 'I look very pretty.'

The dress was a peacock blue, with a tea-length hem and an empire waistline; she'd chosen blue as she remembered the colour of the dress Honey-Milk had worn to the reception Castle and company had organized for them eight years before. Though she wouldn't be able to two-step and fly around the dance floor like she had at Ryan and Honey-Milk's first wedding reception but she would still be able to shake her pregnant groove thing as much as possible. Sitting back down, she slipped on the ballet slippers dyed to match the dress with deep blue rhinestones on the ankle straps. It hadn't pained her as much as she thought it would this time around to give up her high heels, as right away she'd been more belly than body weight with this baby and her poor little feet were puffy enough in flat boots.

She stood up, did a small twirl for her men. 'So? Do I meet the RJ and Rick standard of beauty?'

'Oh, Mumum, you go-shus!' RJ breathed, then laughed when Castle scooped him up and planted a loud smacking kiss on his cheek. 'Daddy!'

'RJ, there is no doubt you are my flirty little mini-me. You ready to go and see Ryan and Jenny promise their vows to each other again?'

'You besha! Les-go, Mumum and bumpy! It par-ty time!'

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful day for a renewal of vows, Castle thought, looking around the Tesla Botannical Gardens. He'd learned from Ryan that had it not been for the decision to get married in the hospital chapel owing to Honey-Milk's mother's illness, this was where they would have had their wedding ceremony officially.<p>

Now with them renewing those vows from eight years ago - and good God in heaven, where had that time gone? - they were getting to have the ceremony they deserved. Ryan was up at the altar in a tuxedo with Esposito and Honey-Milk's brother Aiden serving as groomsmen, while Honey-Milk had Andrea and Aiden's wife Brie beside her in pale, dusty pink gowns. The bride was in a flowing white dress with flowers in her hair and in her hands as she walked down the aisle to her husband. The best part about this re-wedding that made it even better than the original one, aside from the dream venue was the fact that before Honey-Milk walked down the aisle, Dell and Mallory were there as the ringbearer and flower girl.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house as they heard Ryan and Jenny exchange their vows. In some ways, it was like they were being married for the first time, as not a single one of them had gotten to hear the vows the first time around. They listened with tissues and hankies dabbing at their noses and eyes as they listened to each of them reflect on what the last ten years meant to them: Ryan told his wife about the first time he'd kissed her, how he'd known in that first moment their lips had met he'd been ruined for anyone else that might happen his way and that when they'd learned they were going to be parents, he'd never been more in love with her or so proud to call her his wife, that whatever the future held for them they could handle it because they were a team until the end of time. Honey-Milk responded by telling her husband that she'd never thought she would be so lucky as to fall in love with someone who made her laugh and cry and feel so proud to be simply herself, that when he'd told her he loved her that night in Central Park, she knew she was done looking for the love of her life, because he was right there in front of her, and that the journey they'd taken together from newlyweds to parenthood to their married and family life was one she would share with him forever. Castle watched as even tough-guy Esposito had knuckled the corners of his eyes, sniffle deeply to keep it together until the ceremony was finished.

Everyone was saved from getting too soppy when RJ stood up on his chair, clapping his hands loudly and said 'Yea mooshes!' when Kevin and Honey-Milk shared their kiss. The laugh was a ripple on the air that led to. Just like ten years before, Sloan was there to take pictures, albeit this time around, she was sporting her own little baby-bump, courtesy of her long-time love Garrett who was there to assist her with her equipment while she took pictures of the happy couple and their wedding party.

'Mumum, I getta pisher wit' Kevin and Shenny?' RJ asked hopefully as they left the seated area and walked back to the fountain where pictures were being done. 'And may-be Tah-rini too?'

'We'll have to ask Sloan.'

'O-kay, I ask nice. Gotta ask nice.'

RJ darted ahead, then stopped short when he saw Trini with her twin and her sister in their dresses and suit. He hung back a moment, then clung tightly to Beckett's hand. 'Mumum, I don' wanna, she boo-tee-fo'. I don' wanna get 'mudgie.'

'You wont' get her smudgy,' Beckett laughed, a little surprised at her son's bashfulness.

'Ah-Shay!'

Trini had spotted them, and wiggled her hand loose from her father's grip to dash over to him. She smiled, pecked his cheek. 'You han-som, Ah-Shay,' she giggled with a red face.

'Gassy, Tah-rini. You puh-retty too.'

' 'Mon, Mami say dance time!'


	31. The Vow Renewal II

As was the theme of this vow renewal, they'd decided to keep the colour palate the same as from the party Castle and company had thrown upon learning of the original marriage. The ballroom at the Tesla Concorde was decorated in pearl and emerald and gold, all glass and wood gleaming in the soft, favourable lighting of the chandeliers up above. Even the decorations mirrored the first party - the flowers were white roses with pink and green Fuji-mums for centrepieces and all the guests were receiving pink and white tulip corsages or boutonnieres; Honey-Milk had also gotten her white and pink rose bouquet, and Ryan his white rose on his lapel.

The menu, too, was identical, albeit done by the hotel caterers instead of Fazoulli Fresh. They ate cream of mushroom soup, grilled flank steak with buttered-beer au jus, crudites and roasted potatoes - or grilled eggplant for the vegetarians - followed with a palate cleansing sorbet. Beckett recalled with a happy little giggle how she'd wolfed down her steak the first time, mostly out of anxiety over where she stood with Castle, and now she was wolfing it down because she was a hungry pregnant Missus Castle. Both nights, it seemed, she'd gone to cut bites of her food and came up empty, not realizing she'd already eaten the lot of it.

Not everything stayed the same, though, and the biggest changes from the last time made it even more special - now there were children in their large and happy extended family, the oldest of whom belonged to the couple of the night. So many changes that had happened in that time, she thought. Some bad but mostly for the good. The babies they'd all made in their coupling up were proof that they'd all been able to face those darker times together because they never gave up, never took the easy way out.

'So, it was really like this the first time around?' Meredeth asked, looking around at everyone else at their table; it took Beckett a moment to remember that Meredeth hadn't been present for the first reception.

'It really was,' Esposito replied, one hand on the back of her chair and the other sneaking over to rub her belly. Though he was officially part of the wedding party this time around, it was the original people who were sitting up at the head table and so he was sitting with his wife and friends. 'As I recall, Alexis' friend Sloan tried to hit on me and Lanie kept making eyes at me.'

'It'd be very easy for me to get jealous hearing that,' Dave commented, chasing the last of the steak sauce around his plate with a piece of baguette.

'And you're so cute when you're jealous,' Lanie added with a smile, flicking the tip of her finger over the dimple in his chin. 'Want me to kiss it all better?'

'Sure.'

Lanie pecked her husband's lips, which made Castle shake his head. 'You know, if RJ were here, he'd give you righteous shit over mooshing at the dinner table.'

'He better remember his own rule,' Meredeth commented, leaning back slightly to watch where RJ, Dell, Carey, Tessi and the twins all sat together at one of the two children's tables. She could see RJ and Trini babbling away about something, but since her daughter wasn't turning beetroot red like she always did whenever anyone kissed her cheeks, she figured it was safe. 'He ever get lippy like that on Shane and Alexis?'

'Oh, all the time.' Beckett rolled her eyes, shook her head as she nibbled on the carrot sticks still leftover on her plate. 'He insists that Shane buy Alexis flowers as much as possible, and that he should always say he loves her.'

'He's just looking out for his sister, even if she is old enough to be his mama in her own right,' Lanie pointed out. 'I think it's sweet.'

'God help you if that one is a girl,' Esposito added with a grin, pointing at Beckett's pregnant bulge. 'She'll be the only girl in school without a date to homecoming or Valentine's.'

'Maybe if he buddies up with our little guy here,' Meredeth rubbed her own pregnant bump with a dreamy smile, 'he could take your little girl to the school dance. You know if you have a girl, that is.'

'I'm still not sure why you wanted to know ahead of time,' Dave asked, handing his plate off to a passing waiter. 'You've always said that you wanted to be surprised.'

'Unless there was more than one baby or the possibility of pre-birth complications,' Esposito finished, nodding in agreement. 'When we found out Mere was having twins the last time, we knew the sex would be known ahead of time. After Meredeth's surgery in June revealed she was pregnant with number four, we decided to know ahead of time in case there were any complications because of Meredeth's health.

'Which there hasn't been.' Meredeth scooped up the last of her sorbet, eyed up the untouched one in front of Lanie. 'You gonna eat that, Elenia?'

'No, it's all you. I'm not a fan of blueberry.'

'Crazy.' She yanked the parfait dish towards her, and Beckett looked around the table, saw everyone else had eaten there's. She'd had the kiwi-watermelon and it had been just right for her hungry baby.

Castle saw the searching look in her eyes as well, and he flagged down one of the waiters. 'Excuse me, as you can see, my wife is in a bit of a cravings mode and would like some more of the sorbet.'

'We only have the raspberry lemon or the strawberry mango left, sir.'

'One of each, if you could.'

'Of course, sir.'

Beckett watched the young man scurry off towards the kitchen, and sent her husband a grateful look. 'Thank you, Richard.'

'Nothing too good for my baby, baby.'

'Hey, how come there haven't been any speeches?' Meredeth asked, spooning up sorbet.

'They didn't want that this time around. The last time, the only people who commented about them being in love and right for each other were myself and Castle, the others were basically saying, you're crazy for doing this let's hope you don't regret it,' Esposito told her. 'Careful with that, babe, you might eat the spoon.'

'I'm careful, she replied sounding exactly like Tessi when she was told to be mindful of something. 'Will there be any bouquet or garter toss?'

'That's...an excellent question.' Lanie scrunched up her face in concentrated remembrance; had they done that at the first one? 'We'll just have to wait and see, huh?'

'I hope so. Everyone should get to do those traditions.'

'Alexis and Shane might not,' Castle pointed out. 'Jewish weddings have their own traditions.'

'That's true,' Dave agreed. 'Man, Alexis is getting married in less than a year. How you feeling about that, Mom and Dad?'

'Excited, nervous. My little girl's not so little anymore.'

'Shane's already said that Ryan and I get to tag-team a speech about how we found out about their relationship,' Esposito chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. 'Man, I will take that one to my grave. That poor girl, she must have died a thousand deaths when she opened the door to Kev and me.'

'Could have been worse,' Meredeth commented as she finished off her sorbet and shoved the fish away from her reach. 'The first night I met everyone else, Castle opened the door to find this one-' she poked Esposito playfully in the ribs '-and I attached at the lips.'

'And nothing's changed much in those eight years, huh?' Lanie teased her friend.

'Considering we have three kids with number four on the way, I'd say...no, not at all,' she laughed.

Beckett smiled at her friend. It was so good to see Meredeth healthy and whole once more, her usual sunny pregnant self. The toll it had truly taken on both Meredeth and Esposito hadn't been fully realized to her until she'd seen Esposito return to work after Meredeth was on the mend and he was back to being a whip-smart occasionally jack-ass homicide cop. It was a relief to be back to normal, and wonderful it had happened before tonight so that they could do exactly what they were doing - enjoying the night and celebrating their friends' marriage.

Her blissful reverie was broken when she looked up and saw RJ carefully approaching her, navigating his way between the chairs. 'Hello my little prince,' she told him, brushing her hand over his head. 'What brings you over here.'

'Jus wanna see bumpy,' he replied sweetly, patting his mother's tummy. 'Bumpy haffa nice suppa?'

'Very nice. I don't think Meredeth's bumpy wants to be left out, though.'

'Oh, ah-course.' RJ rounded the table, and pressed his hands to Meredeth's belly as well. 'Hi-hi Mer-det bumpy. You ready fo' dancin'?'

'Of course, this little boy bumpy is going to have a great time tonight.'

'Boy bumpy?' His eyes went wide. 'You know 'ready?'

'Yes, Javi and I wanted to know ahead of time.'

'Mumum an' Daddy no' know. Bumpy gonna be a suh-pise.'

'That's fun too.'

'Mer-det?' RJ turned up the dial on his charm to eleven. 'It okay I dance wit' Tah-rini?'

'I think that would be lovely.'


	32. The Vow Renewal III

When the dinner plates were cleared, the party-goers gathered around to watch Honey-Milk and Ryan relive their first dance together, with Alicia Keys' No One throbbing through the speakers. But there was little time to be sentimental, for once the song's ending notes drifted away, the foot-stomping fist-pumping bass of the Black Eyed Peas blasted through good and strong to let everyone know it was time to boogie.

Despite being pregnant, Beckett was still able to shake it on the dance floor, with some obvious limitations - the limbo contest was out of the question, but she could still do a soft two-step and she could most definitely let her husband sweep her around the dance floor in a romantic waltz or two. When she needed a break, she sat down with the sorbets that just kept magically appearing at her table and people-watched.

She laughed when she saw Meredeth alternating holding her own bump and waving her arms in the air; there was a girl who never turned down a party.

'She's something else, huh?' Esposito said proudly, coming up behind Beckett and passing her a club soda with lime while he worked on his own soft drink. 'You'd never guess three months ago she was lying in a hospital bed under sedation and surrounded by protective plastic.'

'You've come back too,' Beckett commented as he sat down with her. 'It's nice to see the regular Javi back on the beat, not the guy who was stressed out that every time his wife called him, there was a calamity underway.'

'You can't really fault me for it, though,' he pointed out and she shook her head.

'Not at all. You guys excited for another boy?'

'Leo's on the ceiling that he's got a brother coming, Tessi is excited for another baby, and Trini just wants Meredeth to be safe. See?'

Esposito pointed towards the dance floor where Trini had gone over to Meredeth, hands on hips and chin jutted up so she was looking Meredeth in the eye. Though they couldn't hear what was being said, Meredeth patted her belly and Trini gave it a rub with a nod, then went off with the other little kids. 'Tessi may be the mother hen but Trini is the worrier. I don't think she'll be really satisfied until she sees her new brother here safe and sound. And speaking of brothers...'

He trailed off when Ryan and Shane came walking up, both looking a little goofy around the edges, a sign they'd been into the tequila. 'Hey bro.'

'Heya Javi.' Shane's speech was slightly garbled but his grin was wide as the Hudson River. 'This guy needs to get married more often, dontcha think?'

'It's your turn next buddy,' Ryan chuckled, slapping his pal's shoulder in support. 'And we are going to have a great if kinda weird bachelor party for you.'

'Why-zit weird?'

'Because we know the lady you're bragging about is Castle's little girl.'

'Okay.' Shane pointed at Ryan with a squinted eye. 'First off, she's not a little girl, she is a very sexy woman and sec...secondly... ummm...Katie, where was I going with that?'

'I have no idea, but I think you might want to switch to Diet Coke if you want a shot at more than cuddling tonight with your fiancee Shane,' Beckett giggled.

'She's good at cuddling. She's good at _everything_.'

'Okay, that's more than we need to know right now.' Esposito flanked Shane, steered him and the equally tipsy Ryan towards the bar for something soft to wet their whistles, leaving Beckett laughing.

'And what is so funny, Missus Castle?'

She glanced up and saw Castle there, two flutes in his hands and an amused look on his face. 'Just thinking how the last time it was Martha who was tipsy and inappropriate and this time around it's Shane.'

'And the last time around I came and rescued you by taking you out on the dance floor.'

'With Lanie taking bets on if I'd spend the night with you or not.'

Castle set down the drinks, pulled her to her feet and led her to the dance floor. 'I knew you weren't just letting her know you were still at my loft. But being a gentleman I wasn't going to pry into the ladies' secrets.'

'I was so thankful for that. And speaking of gentlemen...'

Beckett pointed across the dance floor and Castle felt a little bit of his heart break when he saw RJ holding Trini's hands and dancing with her the way little children did - lots of energy and passion without much rhythm. 'He did promise the girl a dance tonight.'

'My boy is getting so big.'

'What about Alexis?' Beckett turned them around so they could see where the lovely redhead was sitting on a bar stool beside Shane and watching him drink down a couple glasses of water. 'Looks like they going to not just cuddle tonight.'

'Excuse me?'

'Nevermind. You don't need to hear that conversation and I don't need to hear it twice. How about instead I do what I wanted to do the last time we danced at Ryan and Jenny's wedding?'

'And what's that?' Castle asked playfully, remembering crystal clear how that night had ended for them both.

'Kissing you and then dragging you off to make love with you.'

'That sounds perfect.'

* * *

><p>Their suite at the Concorde was a single room one, and since RJ was safely in the care of the Parrish-Robbinses, as Carey had invited RJ for a sleepover they didn't have to worry about a little one's return. While Beckett sat and slipped off her shoes, Castle went to the stereo and turned on the music, as the familiar song came through the speakers.<p>

'You remembered,' Beckett sighed, looking at him with a soft smile.

'Of course I do. Think we have time for one last dance?'

'Always.'

Castle watched her face as she rose and he took her in his arms. Eight years ago on this very night, they'd done something similar, and it had started them on the path here. Even with the bump - their second baby bump - she was a perfect fit into his arms. He inhaled deep the scent of her as they turned together in lazy circles by the foot of their bed and sighed longingly.

'Kate,' he murmured, 'I love you.'

'I love you too, Rich.'

He kissed her then, lips gentle and tender on hers so as to elicit a low moan from his wife. She was sweet and delicious, like the sorbet she'd been gobbling up all night; now it was his turn to gobble her up. Castle let his hands drift over her body to where her zipper was hidden so he could draw the silk and chiffon over her head. He wanted his moves tonight to mirror that wonderful night when they'd first been together so intimately, when they'd moaned and sighed together in discovery and love.

When she stood in front of him, in her panties and bra and support belt for her belly, a look of pure love in her eyes for him and him alone, Richard Castle had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

Beckett closed her eyes, let herself melt as her husband put his hands back on her body once more. She felt so self-conscious these days about her body, and just when she thought she was going to have an absolute meltdown over it, he came along and did the sweetest, simplest things to remind her that Castle thought her beautiful. Her fingers roamed up his chest and flipped open the buttons of his shirt one at a time - his pale, pale pink shirt, just like before - so that she could feel that hot, smooth skin beneath them.

Her touch was like magic, he thought as she stripped him of his pants too so he was in his underwear with her. With a quick twirl, she was spooning against him, and his own hands were busy finding her flesh to make her tremble for him. He found her breasts, squeezed them gently before sliding one hand down over the bump, down to the secret spot between her thighs. The strangled moan that ripped from her lips told Castle he was very much on track to making her scream his name out in pleasure.

'Rick,' Beckett sighed, the steady, sure stroke of his fingers over her making it difficult to breath or to keep a straight thought in her head, 'I...I...'

'Tell me what you want, Kate,' he responded in the same breathy tone.

'I want you inside me. I don't care about the other stuff, I just want you and me.'

'Okay.'

Bending at the knees so they were tumbling to the bed, Castle rolled to his back to see Beckett straddling him, sliding against him to get him hard and hot. He closed his hands over her breasts once more, thumbs brushing her nipples as he filled her. He watched as she rocked gently on top of him, so that she felt everything. When she opened her eyes, she saw the look on his face and knew she had everything she'd ever need in the world in him.

'Rich, let's go together,' she murmured, brushing her mouth against his.

'Yes. Let's go together.'


	33. The Bro Chat: 28 Weeks

'Okay, boys, Mom's heading out!'

Beckett wobbled into the kitchen belly first, twirled as best as she could for her men. 'How do I look?' she asked Castle, Shane and RJ who were getting ready for their all-ages boys' night. It was the third one they'd had in their last five poker nights, as the under-tens had loved every second of it and were begging their daddies to do it as often as possible. So the irls had responded in kind and were doing all-ages girls' night for the two pregnant mamas of their little family. Tonight, as the weather was still warm in the day but cooling at night in mid-September, Beckett opted for her maternity jeans with a coral pink tunic and a lavender-and-white rugby-striped hoodie; the colour of her gel-sole sandals matched her top perfectly.

'You look like one yummy-mummy Detective,' Castle told her.

'You a puh-retty puh-rincess, Mumum,' RJ told her, swinging his legs as he saw on the edge of the island and watched Shane put various kinds of drinks for the grown-up boys into a bowl of ice. 'You haffin' girls o'ny?'

'Yes, it's a girls only party tonight for me.'

'Tah-rini too?'

Castle chuckled. Of course his son would think of his sweetheart first and last, after his mother of course. 'Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's an all-ages night for the ladies too, right Kate?'

'Indeed it is. Oh, and Lanie texted me, Dave and Gil are both going to be late, they were at the same CPR training seminar at the police academy today.'

'Understood. You better head out, you'll miss the train before it switches to the night schedule.'

'Mumum, give Tah-rini mooshes fo' me,' RJ instructed as Shane put the boy on his feet so he could go and bid his mother bye-bye for the night.

'Of course. But I need one from you first for that to work.'

RJ giggled, gave his mother a hug and a kiss. 'Bumpy 'tay safe, Mumum.'

'You know it. Bye you guys,' she added to the grown-up men, pausing to give her husband one more lingering kiss that had RJ looking thoughtful.

'Shane?'

'Yeah buddy.'

'I gonna be a goo' buh-ro 'n-law?'

'Of course,' Shane replied, going to the cupboard for juice-boxes and mini cans of soft drinks; just like the grown-ups, the youngsters would have their own little snack-sideboard. As Dell and carey were big enough for it now, they could help the smaller ones like RJ, Leo and Duncan so their daddies wouldn't be interrupted in their own game. 'The best brothers-in-law always make sure their sisters are well taken care of, but they make room for their sister's boyfriends or fiances or husbands too.'

'Tha' me fo' shoo!'

'Yes it is.'

'Shane?'

'Yes, RJ,' he laughed; the kid always did this, had a list of little questions like a shopping list in his head but rather than ask them all at once, he always took the time to listen to hte answer and discuss it. It was a trait he'd picked up from both his parents, the doctor had observed.

'I share a see-cuh-ret?'

'Of course.'

'I guess Bumpy a gil.'

'You think your bumpy's a girl?'

'Uh-huh.' RJ followed Shane like a little shadow into the living room where the bowl of juice boxes and soft drinks was put on a kid-sized table along with five bowls for sharing snacks. 'I wan' a buh-ro, bu' I guess it a gil.'

'Why you think that?'

'I'unno. I just guess it a gil.'

Castle, who had overheard the exchange, came over with a plate of healthy snacks for the pint-sized guests, along with a bowl of plain potato chips. 'You think Mumum's got a girl in her tummy?' What should we name her then? Trini?'

'No.' THe little boy shook his head. 'O'ny one Tah-rini, ev-er.'

'Okay, what other names do you like?'

'Katie! Like Mumum! Wha' you' mumum name, Shane?'

'Her name is Shir. My dad calls her Shiri.'

'She-wee. That puh-retty.'

There was a knock on the door and Castle grinned when he saw Ryan, Espo, Leo and Dell on the other side. 'Come on in guys, you're just in the middle of RJ and Shane playing the Name-Game for the baby. RJ thinks it's going to be a girl now.'

'Oh, are we going to have a baby guessing pool again?' Dell asked brightly as he took off his coat and shoes. 'We had one when Mallory and RJ were born, it was fun.'

'What a baby poo', Dell?' Leo asked as he too took off his coat and shoes. 'Like suh-wimming?'

'No, see, everyone picks a day they think the baby will be born and they put a dollar in the jar, and who gets the guess right wins all the dollars.'

'Oh. Coo'.'

'Hi-hi, Dell! Hi-hi, Leo!' RJ wandered over, gave them each a wave. 'We gonna have juice an' suh-nacks!'

'Daddy?' Leo looked up at Esposito with hope for permission in his eyes. 'It okay?'

'Yep, just like being at Dell's birthday in the summer, remember?' Esposito gave Leo a loving swat on the bottom to send him along with his friends. 'Go, enjoy.'

'O-kay!'

The little ones headed for the living room, and Ryan and Esposito headed for the kitchen where they found Shane and Castle around the poker table. 'Think it's a bad idea they've already got their own little circle of poker buddies when some aren't even fully potty-trained?' Ryan mused as Shane handed him a beer.

'I think it's awesome, and the way they're bonding they'll have that for life,' Shane commented as he sat down and began to shuffle cards. 'I moved from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv just before I turned six, and every year I get Chanukah cards, birthday cards, updates on family from all the guys I was in primary school with. Two of them are even coming to the wedding.'

'Ah, yes, the wedding, heard you've got the location and the honeymoon set,' Esposito said with a wink as he took stacks of poker chips and began to divide them. 'Bermuda and Italy?'

'Yep, and my rabbi is doing the ceremony, totally old-school. It's the only thing I'm set in stone for because I am the only grandchild of three Holocaust survivors.'

'Really?' Intrigued, as Shane didn't make a point of always bringing up his Judaism, Esposito sipped his beer and leaned forward in interest. 'Who was the only one not to make it?'

'Oh, all my grandparents survived, just one left the country and went back after the war, that's all. My mom's father was an ambassador to France and he was recalled to Jerusalem once things started getting dicey in the thirties.'

'What about other wedding stuff, like food or flowers?' Ryan asked, getting up to answer the doorbell.

'Waiting until Christmas on that. Lex doesn't want any part of the wedding planning to be stressful so she's waiting until she has the time free. And she's going for her first dress fitting the day after Thanksgiving.'

'Dress fitting? That takes me back,' Cam commented as he came in with Carey and Duncan. 'It was one of the few wedding things I actually got to do with Lili.'

'Tio Cam!' Leo stood up when he saw his uncle, waved. 'Hi tio Cam! Hi Cah-wee! Hi Dunnan! We payin'!'

'Daddy, I go too?' Duncan asked politely and when he nodded, he followed Carey over to his table while Cam joined the big boys.

'Play nice, Duncan,' he reminded his son, took the beer Esposito offered. 'Thanks.'

'That's weird, why did you see Lili's dress before the wedding?'

'Because we were engaged about two months before I left for Iraq the second time, and the wedding itself was during my last furlough of a ten month tour. I wanted to do as much as I could with her since my mother wasn't exactly the helpful sort,' Cam explained, his voice a little stiff at the mention of Felicity. 'But since you guys don't have that same kind of pressure it's a little different for you.'

'What did you guys have for a cake?' Shane inquired. 'It's the one thing I know we're going to be stuck on. My parents already understand if we don't have a kosher menu, but when it comes to sweets, Alexis goes more for fruit while I like chocolate and nuts.'

'I thought the girl-talk was for the girls tonight,' Castle teased him; he dealt cards as everyone anted up.

'No, Castle, we all agreed, this is a safe space for us bros to get squishy on a need-per-need basis,' Ryan reminded him. 'Shane is about to get into the monkey suit like we all have, it's a rite of passage he starts to get all metrosexual about the details of the wedding.'

'And the answer to your question is pineapple upside down cake with coconut cream-cheese frosting and a mango drizzle, all using fruits from the Huertas orchards in San Juan,' Cam added. 'Rosalita did the cake for us, and we used Fazoulli Fresh for the catering.'


	34. The Girls' Night

'Hey mama!'

'Hey mama yourself!'

'Hi-hi, Katie! Where Ah-Shay?'

Beckett had to laugh as Meredeth and Trini welcomed her into the Chelsea townhouse; judging from the array of shoes by the foot of the stairs she was one of the last to arrive. She knew the first words of out the young tot's mouth would be an inquiry as to the whereabouts of her sweetheart. 'RJ is having a boys night with his daddy and your daddy.'

'Dell too?'

'Dell too.'

'Dell Tessi see-hot,' Trini said in the singsong way of toddlers with a big secret everyone knew about. 'Moosh Tessi lossa.'

'And RJ gives you mooshes too, I know all about those,' Meredeth concluded, then winced, a clear sign she was being hoofed from within. 'Mmf, yeah, yeah, Max Power, I know you're in there too. He says hello.'

'Hey Max.' Beckett reached out to pet her friend's growing bump; it felt a little weird to talk to it like it was already a person here, but then, they were all calling hers 'bumpy' thanks to her son so it was all relevant she supposed. 'You play nice with your mami, you hear?'

'If I had a nickel for every time RJ said that to his bumpy,' Beckett murmured, rubbing her stomach where the baby was doing his or her nightly exercises in the form of somersaults.

'Mami, Katie nee' juicy?'

'Oh, sorry, Kate, you want a drink?' Meredeth asked as they walked into the kitchen, Trini going from her mother's side to Katie's so as to focus on the other bumpy.

'Sure, whatever there is.'

At the kitchen counter, Lanie and Lili appeared to be having a duel of martini shakers, their sugar-high grins wide and silly with Violet, Tessi and Rosie watching them like hawks while Andrea photographed it and Robina timed them.

'Go Mami! You can do it!' Rosie clapped her hands. 'You're in the lead!'

'La-nie, La-nie!' Tessi chanted, beating her palms on the table.

Before Beckett could open her mouth to ask what it was they were doing, Lanie cracked open her martini shaker, dumped the contents into four glasses, popped in spears of lemon and pineapple chunks, then slammed her fists in the air. 'Done!'

'Lanie, woo-hoo! You rock!'

'Mama bes' duh-rink maker ev-er!' Violet declared.

'But speed is only part of it,' Robina said. 'Now comes fifty percent of the marks. The taste-off.'

'And our other judge is here!' Meredeth said, and all eyes turned to her and Beckett.

'Whee!' Tessi waved her hands in the air. 'Hi Katie!'

'Hi!' Nessa added with a toothy little grin, her strawberry blonde waves bobbing with the motion. 'Shoos!'

'I see that,' Beckett laughed, groaning good-naturedly when the little ones came over to give her and the bump hugs

and kisses.

'Hi bumpy, how are you today?' Tessi stroked it like the family dog. 'You ready to have fun with us tonight?'

'We are gonna play games and have fancy drinks and even presents!' Rosie added, getting her pats in too.

'Hi-hi, bumpy I Vio-let, 'member me?'

'Ness! Me Ness!'

'Okay guys,' Lili chuckled, 'give her a little breathing room.'

'Where's Kelley at, Robina?' Beckett asked, easing her pregnant self onto a chair.

Robina's eyes went a little misty at the question. 'She is going to her first sleepover party with some of her little girlfriends from school tonight, so she says hi to both bumps and hope we have lots of fun.'

'Who Kay-yay?' Nessa demanded, looking around.

'Kelley is my little girl, remember her?' Robina asked, not at all surprised when the girl shook her head.

'Nuh-uh.'

'That's okay. You'll see her soon, when we have another party.'

'Okay!' Nessa turned her attention back to the drinks contest. 'Wish?'

'Meredeth and Katie are going to judge our creations the contestants came up with and then whoever wins gets the first prize of the night,' Lili declared, then combed her fingers proudly through her hair, wore an expression of mock airiness. 'But I don't know why we should bother since I'm clearly the winner.'

'We'll let the preggos decided,' Lanie responded, wiping her glasses and then bringing them over to where Meredeth and Beckett were seated. 'Who goes first?'

'You since you're here first,' Meredeth laughed. 'What is it?'

'This is what I like to call Nuclear Kool-Aid. Lime-ade, sugar syrup and apple juice with just a dash of your homemade sours-mix Mere. Enjoy.'

Beckett sipped hers and tried not to be impolite - it tasted like sour apple juice and not in a good way. 'It's unique,' she told her friend, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Meredeth nodding in agreement.

'Very much so. I like the idea of putting lime and apple together, but I don't know if you need the sours in there too, given the lime is really tart.'

'Okay, now my turn.' Lili set her glasses in front of her pregnant sister in law and friend. 'This is Key Lime Pie, it has lime juice, a dash of sugar syrup, a dash of vanilla and almond syrup and finished with cream soda.'

'Oh wow,' Beckett said the moment she'd taken her first sip, then looked at Lanie with a guilty smile. 'Sorry, Lanie, I know we're best friends but this is really, _really_ good.'

'What she said,' Meredeth added in between sips.

'The judges have spoken and the winner is...Iron Mix-Master Lili,' Robina said solemnly, making the little girls cheer.

'Yea Mami!' Rosie clapped wildly. 'You are the best!'

'Way to go, _tia_ Lili!' Tessi added; Trini not to be outdone added 'Woo _tia _Lili!'

'Okay, so Key Lime Pies for everyone!' Lili sipped her winning concoction, sighed blissfully. 'The way I'd like to describe this drink, I really can't because there are little ears who might hear me.'

'Agreed, but I'm confused.' Beckett took a cube of cheese and a cracker off the tray Meredeth put down in front of her. 'What's up with the taste-off?'

'You didn't tell her, Mere?' Robina shook her head. 'Curse your pregnancy-brain. Mere's been invited to be a guest judge on Iron Chef America!'

'Oh, that is so cool!' Beckett knew she could put together a decent meal, but nothing on par with the homemade concoctions Meredeth dreamed up and certainly not to the scale the Iron Chefs put together. 'When? Are you going to be okay flying since you're having a baby? Do you know the theme ingredient?'

'Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when you got so excited over a TV show,' Lanie commented, gracious in her defeat and helping Lili make a whole punchbowl of Key Lime Pie soft martinis.

'Not TV, this is _Iron Chef America_. For a hungry pregnant woman, that's the food equivalent of porn.'

'What does that mean, Katie?' Tessi piped up curiously, and everyone chuckled at the detectives slip of the tongue, waited for her response but Rosie beat her to the punch.

'It is for grown-ups, Tessi, like wine and beer is for grownups,' she explained to her cousin. '_Iron Chef Amer'ca_ isn't for little kids.'

'Dodged that bullet,' Meredeth chuckled, 'and to answer your question, Kate, _Iron Chef America_ is filmed in Chelsea Market, I could walk there if I wanted to, so bumpy will be just fine. Oh, and no I don't know what the secret ingredient is, but I do know it's Iron Chef Garces vs Chef Janske Marden, she's this amazing German chef who trained under Gordon Ramsey in England.'

'Nice. I'm getting hungry thinking of it.'

'Well, don't, because this timer says that the pizza and enchiladas are ready to come out of the oven in five minutes which means we are going to get our nice yummy colon-friendly Caesar salad ready,' Andrea said with a glance at the oven clock.

'What a colon?' Trini asked, looking to her sister, Violet and Rosie for their expertise. 'What that?'

'I'unno,' Violet shrugged.

'It is a body part,' Rosie informed them smartly; she'd learned about inside body parts in kindergarten. 'It's the thing that makes us go number two.'

'Rosie, _cari_, no poop comments when we're about to eat refried beans,' Lili told her daughter. 'It's not nice.'

'But they asked, Mami, and I know the answer, I'm smart!'

'Yes you are,' Lanie agreed, 'but you don't like it when Carey and Duncan talk about bug guts when you eat hot-dogs, right?'

'Uh-huh. Oh, I see,' Rosie nodded sagely. 'I'm not gross like the boys, I'm a lady like my mami.'

'And the sooner we get our dinner eaten,' Meredeth reminded her niece, 'the sooner we get to more surprises and games.'

'Meredeth, by surprises, do you mean presents?' Beckett asked teasingly, and the pretty Danish writer sniffed regally.

'Haven't a clue what you mean, Katie-Lou.'


	35. The Sticky Mess: 30 Weeks

Beckett sat in her chair, studying her murder board of what appeared to be a double murder - Juliet Madsen had her skull bashed in by her husband Greg, and Greg had been strangled by an unknown assailant. The fact she was working a double homicide didn't bother her; what did was this was the third violent home invasion homicide where Cruz and Brennan had been the first officers on scene.

'Yo, Beckett!'

She glanced over at Esposito coming off the elevator, a file in his hand. He'd left twenty minutes earlier, ostensibly to go two floors down to CSU and get a DNA analysis report and to pick up the phone he thought he'd left in his ride after returning from their trip into the field.

'What have you got, Espo?'

'Lab guys confirm it was Greg's DNA on the chunk of brick that was used to kill Juliet Madsen, but the rope used on Greg hasn't popped yet.'

'What did Shane say about Juliet's SART kit from autopsy?'

'Still running it.'

Beckett nodded, focused her attention on the board and tuned out Ryan mumbling on the phone in the background. 'What about the other file?'

'Trunk of my car,' Esposito replied in the same low murmur. 'We'll be working from Chelsea after two. Mere wants to cook for you, so it's one less trip,' he explained.

'Right. Oh, come on, kid, my kidneys aren't ottomans for your little baby feet.' She looked down, poked her belly. 'Yeah, I'm talking to you.'

'Hey, look at it go!' Esposito laughed as he saw the bump wiggle and jiggle beneath his boss' sweater. 'You got a squirmy one, Detective Beckett.'

'God-damn asshole!'

Both looked over when Ryan slammed down his receiver and glared at it with the heat of a thousand suns. 'Problem, Ry?' Esposito asked jovially, his mind and stomach already on his wife's cooking waiting for them at home.

'I'll never understand why landlords are always the hardest people to deal with in a murder investigation.' Ryan dragged both hands over his face to his hair and leaning back, sighed in resignation. 'Tell me something good came from your jaunt, bro.'

'Meredeth texted me, she's making wontons and stir-fry for us to have for lunch at my place.'

Ryan waited a beat. 'Well, it's a start.'

* * *

><p>The smell of soy sauce, onions and sauteed pork was welcome as a lover's embrace when the trio of cops headed through the door of the townhouse. Arturo, despite his arthritis, trotted over perky as ever to give them a friendly puppy hello, and took an extra second to snuffle at Beckett's belly that was wiggling and jiggling like Jell-O in a limbo contest.<p>

'Yeah, that's like Mami's, huh, old man,' Esposito murmured, stroking the dog's thick neck. 'Where's Mami at?'

'Hello? Is that New York's finest in my living room?' Meredeth called from the kitchen.

'Yeah and I brought lunch dates,' he replied, greeting his wife at the bottom of the stairs with a kiss. 'How's my boy doing today?'

'Fussy, he keeps trying to get comfy for a nap.' She made a pout face, rubbed her belly. 'Asian food should fix him up. You guys hungry?'

'Famished,' Beckett replied,' but we'll make it a working lunch.'

'Don't overdo it, Mere,' Esposito reminded her. 'No more hospital trips, or I'll sic Trini on you.'

'Duly noted.'

Meredeth pecked his cheek one more time, and rather than setting up camp in the living room, Beckett Ryan and Esposito all followed her into the kitchen, spread their work out on the kitchen table since it would be easier to eat and work that way.

'Okay, Javier, what did you dig up on Cruz and Brennan,' Ryan asked, going to the fridge for the pitcher of iced tea that was as ubiquitous as milk in the house.

'Cruz, Magdalena, only child of Jorge Cruz and Suzanne Shepard, born in Queens and like me skipped university or college to go right into the academy. But unlike me, she's stayed in uniform for nearly eight years, transferring around from unit to unit and always staying on patrol even though her academy trainers recommended her for the Narc bureau right away since she had the skills for it.'

'I'm not even going to ask how you got ahold of Cruz's personnel file,' Ryan said, bringing over glasses for them all. 'It makes my head hurt.'

'Better keep it that way. She's got a couple of community service medals, but she's got a lot of notes in her jacket for being reprimanded for insubordination. Even landed herself a thirty-day rip for mouthing off to her commanding officer two years ago.'

'So she's smart, but thinks she's better than everyone else because she's so damn smart,' Beckett commented, studying the official photo of Cruz. 'More importantly, her superior officers know she's a smart-ass and don't want her in charge. What about Brennan?'

'Adam Brennan reads more like your stereotypical NYPD pig with commendations in physical fitness, especially in hand-to-hand training.'

'Sounds like Tucker Lloyd,' Meredeth commented as she set a plate of won-tons on the table. 'Ryan the ones without sesame seeds are veggie.'

'Thanks, Mere.'

They dug in, with Esposito continuing the report of what he'd found so far. 'Brennan's worked in the same squad his whole career, but he started to pick up his socks when Cruz transferred in.'

'Maybe they're playing cops and robbers off the clock?' Ryan suggested around a mouthful of cabbage and carrots.

'No. I dug a little deeper, looked at the parents. They grew up together, went to the same schools, and there's more. Both of them were enrolled in the Big Apple Bookworm program in its founding year. I looked at Juliet and Greg's financials, and they were personal donors for the program.'

'I think it's time to look a little closer at their alibis for the three murders,' Beckett decided, then paused. 'And how the hell are we going to do that when our two prime suspects in three murders are cops?'

'Meh, no biggie,' Ryan shrugged sarcastically. 'A little Crisco and fishing wire, couple that with some unregistered hacking software for every known database in the United States justice system, and we're in business.'

Beckett's cell went off then, and when she saw it was Shane's cell number on the display, she gnawed her lip the way she always did when she was deep in thought. 'Shane, tell us what you got,' she demanded tersely, putting the phone on speaker.

'You really want to hear it?'

When Esposito and Ryan hung their heads, Beckett closed her eyes and rubbed her belly. 'What did you find, Doctor Weaver?'

'The SART kit on Juliet Madsen came back to a registered name. Officer Adam Brennan, and it looks like it was, ah very vigorous, almost violent intercourse but not rape.'

'Seriously?'

'Science doesn't lie, Kate. Your vic and this cop liked it rough.'

'Anything else?'

'Yeah, Juliet was pregnant by Brennan, though it was hardly a week old, she wouldn't have even noticed.'

Ryan clenched his fist until the knuckles ran white across the ridge. 'So Juliet was stepping out on Greg with Brennan, she tries to break it off with Brennan, he doesn't like it and forces himself on her. Meanwhile Greg comes home, finds his wife with another man and takes it out on her by clocking her with the decorative bricks they were redoing their fireplace with.' He picked up the crime scene photos of Juliet Madsen's lifeless body. 'Brennan loses it when he sees Juliet's being attacked so he wraps something around Greg's throat to pull him off, only he goes too far and chokes Greg to death, then sees Juliet's dead too.'

'It makes sense as a theory but there's other questions to consider like how does he keep most of his prints out of that place, for one, and another, how does he get out of their without anyone noticing?'

'The first part's easy,' Beckett said, revisiting her notes of the last crime scene. 'Brennan already said he was friends with Greg and that's why he wanted to stay on scene; he'd notice anything out of the ordinary, and we should take his prints as disqualifiers since they would be all over the apartment.'

'Bastard's hiding in plain sight,' Esposito growled. 'Okay, I'll buy that for the time being. So does Cruz factor in?'

'What, your magic genie of background checks didn't find that out?' Beckett snapped, then sighed. 'Sorry. Hormones. Kid's driving me nuts today.'

'We've all been there, Kate,' Meredeth reassured her friend, then stripped off her apron. 'Okay, plates are right here on the island, my work is done so that means nap time. Love you, babe.'

'Love you too Mere.'

Meredeth kissed Esposito, left the kitchen, and all the cops looked at each other. 'What if Ryan's right,' he stated bluntly, 'what if Cruz and Brennan had a thing going, and they're going all Bonnie and Clyde?'

'I think we need to go to the captain,' Ryan said a little more calmly than his partner, 'and at the same time ask whatever higher power will listen why it's always us who catches the super-sticky cases.'


	36. The Righteous Hissy Fit

The next morning, after sleeping the night on it, Beckett awoke still uneasy with what she had to present to her captain. The baby could sense her worry too, it seemed, as the little one as content to just gently turn around inside rather than do its usual morning gymnastics to wake her up.

'Thank you for being so nice to Mumum,' she sighed, stroking her fingertips over her belly. 'You know how nice that is?'

Beside her, Castle groaned softly, then sneezed, making her wince as the whole bed shook. 'Damn, damn, damn,' he groaned. 'I'm going to the doctor's today. I've has enough of this.'

'So have I. You know, in a loving, pregnant sort of way.'

'Kate, it's fine,' he said with a snuffly chuckle, but kissed her cheek instead of her lips. 'You and I both know it's just ragweed and hayfever. What the hell is ragweed anyways?'

'Why don't we ask Dell, he's out little nature nut,' was the muffled response through the door before Beckett heard the whine and gush of the shower being turned on.

Settling back against her bank of pillows, she stared at the ceiling and for the first time in her career, found herself dreading talking to the captain. She always had gone to him with cases going good and bad because he'd been the father figure who would lay down the law - no pun intended - when her own spent his nights soul-searching in the bottom of a bottle of Jack Daniels. She'd even gone to him with cases about dirty cops before, but this one for some reason was just striking her as all kinds of wrong.

Still, she was a responsible officer of the law and would do her duty accordingly. Groaning, she levered herself away from the comfy, marshmellowy goose-down pillows she favoured with pregnancy and swung her feet to the floor; at the same time, the bedroom door was shoved open and RJ came in with Omeo in tow, sniffling greatly.

'Mumum?'

'Hey my little prince,' she greeted him warmly, then saw his red eyes. 'RJ, have you been crying?'

'Nuh-uh. Suh-neezin', Mumum. I suh-niffy. Omeo too.'

'Oh, poor guys.' Knowing her role as mother, she kissed Omeo's cotton cheek all better then felt RJ's forehead. He wasn't running a fever, which was good; her firstborn was prone to strep throat and had had it twice already in his short life. 'Is your throat sore?'

'No.' RJ shook his head. 'I can't suh-mell 'ny-thin'.'

'You can't smell anything?'

'Uh-uh.'

'Is your tummy upset?'

'Nuh-uh, I hun-guh-ry. Wan' Fuh-rensh toas' an' sur'p.'

If he had an appetite, Beckett knew he wasn't too far gone as she knew the red-flag sign of her boy being really under the weather was that he didn't want anything to eat. 'I don't know if we can have French toast this morning, RJ. Daddy's sick too and I have to go to work today.'

'Daddy sick too? Tha' no' goo' fo' bumpy. Maybe, maybe you suh-leep at Tah-rini's?'

'Maybe,' Beckett echoed.

'No wan' bumpy geddin' sick.'

'No, we don't.'

'I go wit' Daddy, talk-a dotta,' RJ decided in a tone Beckett recognized that he'd gotten from her. 'I wan' bumpy 'tay safe. No sherms geddin' bumpy.'

Beckett went for a BLT on whole-wheat toast with low-fat cheese for breakfast, and when she dressed for the day, assembled her things, both Castle and RJ blew her kisses from a safe distance to keep her from potentially being infected. The smile she wore from seeing RJ make Omeo blow her kisses too stayed with her all the way to the precinct, and she needed it this morning more than others.

Stepping off the elevator, she nearly walked into Geoffs, then heard his mumbled, 'Yellow-tail's in the shark tank.'

Geoffs, who was prone to making aquatic references, got the nod from Beckett as he went past and she deposited her purse and her file-bag at her desk before booting up her computer and organizing her thoughts. She wouldn't tell the captain she had two cops as suspects, just...tell him that she was becoming rather concerned with Cruz and Brennan's constant appearance at their crime scenes where they had donors to the foundation as their victims.

Before she could even pull the file she'd put together on the uniforms from her bag, Montgomery appeared at the entrance to his office and gave her a look. 'Detective Beckett, my office.'

'Of course sir, just-'

'Now, Beckett, and bring the home-invasion files with you.'

She nodded, brought her whole bag with her as they were the only files she'd looked at the previous evening off the clock. Her curiosity was piqued, but curiosity turned to irritation when she saw Blake Holmes sitting in one of Montgomery's visitor chairs. 'Sherlock, what can we do for you?' she sneered, using the Internal Affairs captain's not-so-nice nickname.

'Easy, Beckett, don't want you to go popping off, now,' he replied in his perpetually-snotty sounding English accent.

'Careful, Blake. You're in our house right now.'

'Kate,' was all Montgomery needed to say and she relented, easing her pregnant self into the chair beside Blake. When she focused on him, he let out a little breath. 'You've had three murders, home-invasions, where donors to the Big Apple Bookworm foundation were killed.'

'Correct sir.'

'All of these crime scenes had the same first-responder uniforms, correct?'

'Yes sir, Officer Magdalena Cruz and Adam Brennan. It has...raised some concerns concerns.'

'What kind of concerns?' Blake asked, clicking a pen open and shut every few seconds.

'That it is decidedly convenient that those two officers were first on scene, especially given the research myself and two of my men have put together on them both.'

'Research? Who said you're authorized to go digging around a cop's background?'

'I do,' Beckett replied in the same haughty tone, 'when said cops are people of interest, especially after the last one.'

'Blake, before you go popping off yourself,' Montgomery said calmly, 'why don't we listen to the detective's report and go from there.'

'Thank you sir.' Beckett relayed what she'd learned from Shane the previous afternoon, the theories she, Esposito and Ryan had worked out, and handed him a copy of her updated reports. 'Shane's official report will go in there once I pick up the paperwork at the morgue this morning.'

'Thank you Detective.' Montgomery cleared his throat, looked at Blake. 'You're up, Captain.'

'We've had Cruz and Brennan under surveillance for several months, as we believe they are indeed, as your evidence suggests, behind the home invasion killings.'

'How long is several months?' Beckett asked, her anger going on simmer.

'I don't think that's-'

'How long?'

'Since April.'

'That's before the first murder though,' she pointed out, feeling slightly stupid for doing so, unless... 'Was there another murder prior to the one Detective Ryan and I took point for?'

'No, that was the first one, however, we know that based on our surveillance of Cruz and Brennan, they are more than likely the perpetrators of these crimes.'

Blake handed Beckett a thick file with Cruz' name on the label. 'Her mother was a librarian at the neighbourhood branch of the NYPL, and about two years ago, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and applied to the foundation's personnel support program for benefits since she had to cut back her hours because of chemo treatments. The foundation turned her down saying they didn't have the funds to offer her medical coverage and she ended up losing her job before dying in February of this year.'

'That's quite the motive Cruz has.'

'Yeah, so she went after the accountant responsible for the book-keeping the board drew their decision from and another man who was in a similar situation guaranteed the support of the foundation.'

'So that covers Helena Roland and Thomas Nichols, but what about Juliet and Greg Madsen?'

'That is what it appears to be,' Blake replied. 'Juliet was having an affair with Brennan, Greg found out and the dominoes fell as they did.'

'Okay, so what exactly is the purpose of this meeting?'

'To tell you you are no longer in charge of the Cruz investigation.'

Beckett's temper flash like a firework as she glared at Montgomery. 'Sir, what-'

'The order has come down from the Chief of Detectives, Kate,' he replied. 'You can pick up Brennan for questioning in regards to the Madsen case but the other two are now going to be transferred to IA.'

'And what if they're wrong?'

'We're not,' Blake stated bluntly. 'Trust me, we have our girl.'

'The fuck I'm going to trust you when you come in here and hamstring me like this!'

'Beckett it's done. My hands are tied too,' Montgomery told her.

'This isn't done,' she seethed, rubbing her belly where the baby kicked her viciously. 'Not by a long shot.'

Storming out in righteous anger, she went past the Ry-Sposito monster like a blur. 'Boys, let's go,' she barked.

'Where?' Ryan ventured cautiously.

'We're picking up Officer Brennan for questioning. Espo, you're driving.'


	37. The Questioning

'Daddy? Why you no' chew'em?'

'Hmm?'

'Why you no' chew'em?'

Castle looked over at RJ in his booster seat, spoon in hand like a gavel and watching him very carefully. 'Why am I not chewing my cold tabs?'

'Uh-huh. Mumum say, al-ways chew'em well.'

'But these aren't your Flintstone vitamins, these are especially for my cold and the doctor said it's okay because they are very tiny.'

' 'Maller than a pit-pea?'

'Even smaller than a split pea,' Castle agreed, then looked over at Shane, who was using his day off to take care of the sickies in the loft with his trademark split-pea soup and cheesy bread. 'Thought you were going to visit Alexis in Princeton?'

'No, that's next week, and I had a dentist's appointment this morning.' The doctor offered a smile that Castle knew would make most women tremble in their knees; it certainly had made Alexis flutter a little bit. 'Next week, I'm finishing days before my day off and the next day I'm only on call for nights, so I'm going to Mister-Mom it for her.'

'Shane a goo' hubby,' RJ said with a smile and a nod, dipping into his bowl, making both Shane and Castle.

'Who taught you that one, little bro-in-law?' Shane asked.

'Javi. He be nice, make soup fo' Mer-det an' she say he a goo' hubby.'

'Ah, well, that is being a good hubby,' Castle commented, then got up to find a Kleenex, adding 'Shane, can you get that?' when the houseline phone rang.

'Hello?' Shane said into the receiver, strained to hear the voice. 'Hello?'

'Shane, that you?'

'Kate?'

'Yeah it's me. I'm in the middle of Times Square with Ry-Sposito, we're on our way to get Adam Brennan!'

'Why are you calling,' he asked, visions of something wrong with the baby speeding horrifically through his mind.

'I needed to ask Rick if he's taken RJ to the doctor's?'

'Yep, and I made them lunch. You want to say a quick hello?'

'Sure!'

Shane nodded, then passed the phone to RJ first. 'Your mom's on the phone.'

'Yea!' RJ took the received and held it to his head. 'Hi-hi Mumum, how bumpy?'

'Bumpy's fine, just wanted to say I love you and take care of Omeo so his sniffles go away, okay?'

'You besha, Mumum! You gonna talk-a Daddy?'

'Please and thank you.' Beckett held her breath until Castle was on the line, and she heard his raspy, cold-infected voice. 'Hey, honey, still feeling tough?'

'Better but still crumby. What's up?'

'I'm going to question a fellow cop for and need a booster,' she told him honestly. 'Hormones and fatigue and everything are just getting to me this morning.'

'Okay. Just keep one thing in mind, that a badge doesn't make the cop. The man or woman makes the badge.'

'Damn you're good. Alright, I have to go kick some criminal ass.'

'That's my girl. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Beckett hung up her phone, looked at Ryan and Esposito. 'Don't look at me like that, I'm not going to blow up.'

'I don't know, Kate,' Ryan replied as they climbed up the stairs to Brennan's restaurant-topping apartment near the Hard Rock Cafe. 'You looked pretty steamed when you came out of Montgomery's office a few hours ago.'

'Yeah, because IA is treating this like it's a fucking joke,' she barked. 'Not to mention it was that ass-wipe Blake Holmes was the one who was called in on it.'

'Not that I'm always one to criticize,' Esposito pointed out as they reached Brennan's floor, 'but can't the kid hear you know? Should you be cursing that much?'

'Bumpy, cover your ears sweetheart.' Beckett told her belly as she stopped, then looked Esposito and Ryan in the eye. 'I'm aware I've handled this pregnancy far more easily than with RJ, but seriously, if you don't stop with this babying the scary pregnant cop crap, I'm going to stuff a night-stick up your ass and turn you into a Puerto-Rican Popsicle, Javier.'

'Understood.'

Beckett nodded, then reined it in as she knocked on Brennan's door. All of them heard the crashing about of the hung-over inside, and Brennan's voice came through the door. 'Yeah?'

'Officer Brennan, Detectives Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito,' she announced. 'We'd like to come in and ask some questions.'

There was a sigh, then the disengagement of locks before Brennan poked his face through the crack of the door. 'Questions about what?'

'Greg and Juliet Madsen.'

'Right.' Despite the bleariness, there was cop's understanding in his eyes, so he stepped back in welcome. 'I knew this would be coming down the pipe, huh?'

'Considering you were the one Juliet was having an affair with, I'd say offhand, yah.' Esposito looked around, then at Brennan who was still in the most ridiculous underwear he'd seen in awhile - the officer's boxers were blood red with comic-book sound-effect words all over them. 'You have some clothes?'

'Oh, right, sorry.'

Esposito escorted Brennan away and they returned momentarily, Brennan dressed in black sweats and a grey t-shirt with Old Navy in orange writing. The younger officer was looking more alert now, and not hungover like they'd originally taken him for, but emotionally wrung out, like he'd been up half the night...crying.

'Okay, Adam,' Beckett used his first name, then looked around. 'Mind if we sit down in the living room?'

'Not at all.'

Beckett put herself in the comfy-looking dusty-blue armchair - he was surprisingly neat for a bachelor - and watched Adam sigh heavily as he sat down on the couch end closest to her, Esposito taking a seat between them on the coffee table. 'You know why were here, even without us saying so.'

'Yeah, and I know I should have told you about Juliet, but...I just couldn't do it, I knew how the others were going to look at me, how Lina was going to look at me. Officer Cruz, I mean, that's Lina.'

'Understood and okay, you should have told us about your real relationship with her as soon as possible, especially considering how it looks.'

'How what looks?' Brennan asked, genuinely confused.

'You and Officer Cruz were at three crime scenes where the victims all had a loose connection to you both.'

'What connection?'

'The Big Apple Bookworm foundation,' Esposito clarified and saw Brennan's eyes light with understanding. 'Ring any bells up there in Queens?'

'Oh, that. Yeah, Lina has some choice words about those bastards. Bunch of hypocrites is what they are. But it's not what it looks like, at least not the first two.'

'Juliet's different,' Beckett prompted.

'Yeah, it was. I was off duty the night she was killed, and she told me come by around nine since Greg was out of town, and while I was on my way there on the subway, Greg came home early to find her getting ready for a man that wasn't him. Their marriage was falling apart anyways, always fighting.' Brennan trailed off, sniffed deeply to keep it together. 'I was at the door when I heard them, so I broke it in, and saw him on top of her. He had the brick from his firelplace stonework in his hand, and I could tell there was no way I could talk him down.'

'The rope, was it yours, or here?' Esposito asked, getting the picture.

'Here, Greg had it extra for tarping the furniture while they worked on the living room renovations. I grabbed it, threw it around his neck to haul him off and subdue him, only I guess...I guess in my fit of rage at seeing him attacking Juliet, I pulled too hard. I got the hell out of there and tried to keep it together until I was on shift the next morning.'

'Is there anything you've got handy to show us you were on your way to the apartment?'

'Yeah, I've got my subway ticket stub in my office, and my receipt from the flower guy. I stopped to get Juliet some yellow roses after I left the subway stop near her place.'

'Ryan, go with him.'

Ryan nodded, and when they were alone, Beckett and Esposito looked at each other. 'It wash for you?'

'Yeah, it does. Guy's a mess, mourning the loss of his precious Juliet.'

'He's drinking to try and forget about it. I recognize the signs,' she started, then looked up when Ryan hollered for them.

'Beckett! Espo! Get in here!'

Esposito helped Beckett to her feet, and they went into the office where Ryan stood with a stricken look on his face, Brennan equally pale as he sat beside an open file cabinet. 'What?' Beckett demanded, followed Ryan's gaze when he simply pointed to the neatly labeled files.

And felt her knees go to water.

There, at the back of the row of files, in Brennan's painfully neat handwriting was a file that had no business being there.

_Beckett, J. Hmc. Unsolved._


	38. The Explanation

There was a dull roar inside Beckett's head as she continued to stare. What the fuck was this officer, who had only met her three times on a crime scene, doing with a file on her mother's murder?

'Officer Brennan,' she said in a voice so low and calm that it made Esposito and Ryan take a step backwards. 'Why do you have that file in your home office?'

She pointed at the dossier with her mother's name on the label. 'Beckett, J, unsolved homicide?'

'I've been studying her case since I was in the academy, Detective Beckett.' Brennan looked at her with those soulful, mournful eyes. 'I heard it mentioned when we were doing unsolved case training and it stuck with me, so the last few years, I've been putting together as much as I could about it, trying to figure out where my old man could have overlooked something.'

'Your old man?' Esposito repeated.

'Yeah, my old man. Officer Jarrad Brennan, he was on patrol that night, saw a person lying in an alley on his beat, and when he saw it was a lady, he called it in. Raglan, that creep, he pretty much tossed my dad aside since he wasn't interested in hearing the discovering officer's report and just wanted to close up the case, but my pops, he knew everything Raglan was saying was wrong.'

'How would he know?' Ryan asked stiffly, his eyes on Beckett the entire time.

'Raglan tried to pin it on a group of local gang kids called the Warriors, like that old movie. My dad knew those streets cold, that was _his_ beat, and everyone knew him, even the gang kids and they knew better than to so much as shoplift cookies from the seven-eleven in that neighbourhood. Most of them just liked to run their mouths anyways. He knew that it had to be a pro the way those slashes were made in the dark without any hesitations.'

'Why didn't anyone listen to him?'

Brennan gave a jerky shrug. 'It smells foul right from square one, but my pops ain't homicide like Raglan was, and in those days, letting amurder like Johanna Beckett's go unsolved without so much as an arrest was out of the question. So my dad took the case home, tried to work on it himself when he could, until...'

'Until what?' Beckett demanded.

'Until he heard Dick Coonan died while in police custody. See he knew Dick's other name, Rathbone, had heard a lot of murmurs about it around the water cooler and when he asked the gang kids about dealers he should be peeled for, they all said this new cat in town, Rathbone, he was making a big slice in the market the Latin Kings had.'

'How would he make the connection between Dick Coonan and Rathbone?'

'Separate reports confirmed his identity,' Brennan replied. 'After Coonan bit the big one, my pops goes to Raglan who's retired by then and says to him, so looks like I was the dumb rookie who was right, and Raglan brushed him off, said he didn't have time for every smart-assed punk who needed his back patted over one little murder. My dad took it hard, especially after Raglan refused to let him see anything in his files relating to the murder.'

'How do I get ahold of him?'

'You got Oda Mae Brown on hand? My dad killed himself last November, left a note saying he couldn't handle the guilt of not trying hard enough for Johanna Beckett, and he wanted to see my mom so badly. She died two years ago. Heart attack.'

Sympathy for the young man who lost his parents - both of them - so swiftly and violently trickled through her own wall of shock, and Beckett found herself putting a hand on his shoulder. 'I'm sorry for that loss, Adam.'

'Takes one to know one,' he replied dryly, then reached into the filing cabinet for the file. 'That is everything my dad came up with. I hope you can come up with something more than I could.'

'Adam, I can't do that. This is your father's legacy.'

'It's your mother,' Adam fired back, eyes stinging. 'If it were me, I'd take that and devour it whole.'

He thrust the file at her again, and Beckett had no option but to take it, lest she look like a total fool. With hands shaking, she took it, felt the bump of a USB stick inside it. 'Thank you,' she told him numbly.

'Do you...do you guys need to take me in?'

'Yeah, we do,' Ryan replied, almost forgetting the reason they were there in the first place. 'We won't cuff you, and you can change out of your sweats if you want to.'

'Besides, we didn't read you your rights,' Esposito added, 'and we heard you confess to a crime, so we need to go to the precinct, make sure this all stays level.'

'And the file I gave Detective Beckett?'

'One human being to another,' she replied, still staring at it.

Adam nodded, then rose to change into something a little more dignified for his perp walk he knew was coming. When he left the room, Beckett pressed a shaking hand to her mouth to try and suppress the sob in her voice; she didn't quite succeed and Esposito was there with an arm around her shoulders while Ryan baby-sat Adam's door while the guilty man changed.

'It's okay, Kate,' he told her gently. 'None of us thought we'd get something like this today.'

'No shit.'

'We'll take care of Adam, you go to the captain and let him know what you've got.'

'I can't do this, though, every time something about my mother's case comes up I can't give in and act like a total fucking sissy weakling.'

'Two things. One, you're not a weakling, and two, I don't want you giving birth to a little foul-mouthed trucker, okay?'

'Okay. The last thing, I can do that for you.'

'Thank you.'

Adam reappeared, this time in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. 'Okay, I'm ready.'

* * *

><p>When they got to the precinct, the Ry-Sposito monster took Adam to a conference room right away to get the booking process jump-started while Beckett headed for the captain's office. Her luck was on fire at the moment when she saw him hang up the phone as she entered. 'Sir?'<p>

Montgomery looked up, and it was all he needed - he saw the stormy expression she had, far different from the mutinous one she'd worn just hours earlier during her meeting with Blake Holmes. 'Detective, how can I help you?'

'Sir, we've brought in Adam Brennan, he confessed to killing Greg Madsen, and Ryan and Espo are wrapping him up now.'

'Is it looking pretty clean?'

'Uh-huh. Juliet and Brennan were knocking boots, and when he went to her apartment for a booty-call, he found Greg beating the shi- the crap out of her, so he grabbed a rope in the living room and used it to haul Greg off Juilet, only Juliet was already dead and in his effort to subdue Greg he accidentally killed him.

'Okay, so what are the boys going to charge him with?'

'Given the circumstances, I'd say with manslaughter. The weapon was at the house, and there was another person he sincerely believed was in danger on scene as well.'

'Sounds good. Now why are you really in my office?'

'Sir, I...' Beckett blew out a breath, rubbed her belly. 'Adam, he went to his office to get receipts to show he wasn't at the apartment at Juliet's time of death, and Detective Ryan discovered that he had a file in his office cabinet labeled...it had my mother's name on it.'

'Oh.' Montgomery stopped doing his paper work, pulled off his reading spectacles to sized Beckett up. 'Are you okay?'

'I don't know how I am. Angry that some other stranger is poking into my mother's case, but happy at the same time, because there's someone else out there who gives a damn about finding her killer other than me and my family.'

'How did he even get a file?'

'Easy, his dad was the first responding officer on scene the night my mom died. Raglan, the lead homicide Detective, he basically told Brennan Senior he was talking out of his ass and bullied him out of the investigation. But Brennan Senior kept working on it on his own until he committed suicide last November and left all his work in his son Adam's care to try and solve it.'

'Damn.' The captain shook his head. 'Have you looked at this file?'

'No, but Brennan Junior has and he said it is...God, I don't remember what he said about it.'

'Kate. You are pregnant and you're very very worried. You need to go home and rest.'

'Sir, I'll be fine-'

'NO a chance in hell.' To prove his point, Montgomery picked up his phone. 'Castle, Roy. Yeah, I've got your pregnant bride here, and I'm ordering her home on half-day sick leave. See that when she arrives at your home, she rests and sleeps and rests some more. No, it's about her mother's case, it came up in a big way today. Thank you. Done.'


	39. The New Thread

Castle all but paced the living room, wearing a rut in the floor as he waited for his wife to come home. He'd received the captain's phone call just as he'd put RJ down for his nap and his skin had iced over when he'd heard the man's words that the routine questioning Beckett had gone on with her fellow detectives had taken a hard left turn into an area none of them had anticipated.

Why was that always the way it was with her mother's case, Castle mused painfully. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard voices on the other side of the loft door, then the tumblers turning. Relief was a choke-hold on his soul when Castle saw his wife wasn't alone - whether it was an order or his own stubbornness, Ryan had escorted Beckett home and was taking her spitting fury with a patient grace.

'Okay, you've done your duty, Kevin, now go catch bad guys with your work-wife,' she snapped, but the heat wasn't there; it was only a brave face against the hurt.

'Kate-'

'Kevin,' was all Castle said and the Irishman understood that he'd done his job as best he could, now it was time for the writer to do his.

'Right. I'll call you later, let you know how things wrap up with Brennan.'

Ryan left quietly and when the door had shut behind him, Beckett turned to her husband. Her eyes swam even as they burned with anger, with renewed grief. 'Richard.'

'It's okay, Kate.' He crossed to her, but when he went to embrace her, she shook her head.

'Let me lay it out for you first. Then I can fall apart, and then I want to look at what he gave me.'

'I'll make tea.'

'I don't want tea.'

'Tough. It's going to give me something to do.'

Beckett gave an acquiescing nod, settled herself down on the couch in front of the fireplace that was crackling gently to keep the cool September air at bay. She studied the flickering pale orange flames while she stroked her palms over the bump; it was napping right now, just like RJ. Vaguely, she wondered if the kid would be awake when RJ was nearby and ready to play and chat.

Castle came back after turning on the kettle, sat beside her and took her hand in his. 'Okay. From the top.'

Beckett told him how they'd gone to talk to Brennan about the double homicide, and how Ryan's voice had gone zero-to-Aida in the office, urging her to come in. He listened with love and understanding, stroking her back as she told him how Brennan had lost both his parents to violent ends, and how she could feel for the son whose father had tried to do the right thing even when the son was a cop who'd made a fatal error in judgment.

'Brennan is the worst kind of wrong cop because he's not a wrong cop, he was a cop in the wrong place at the wrong time,' she murmured. 'But all anyone will see is that he was an adulterer with a badge who killed his lover's husband and that kills me more than it should.'

'He was trying to save the woman he loved from being beaten to death by a violently jealous man,' Castle pointed out, 'but that's not the point right now. The point is that this could possibly be a good thing, Kate.'

'How?' She turned to look at him, absolute bafflement in his eyes. 'Brennan - Adam - he worked with me on three homicides, since June and not once did he think to mention that his father was the real first on scene the night my mother died.'

'Maybe he didn't think it was appropriate. He also didn't try to hide it from you when Ryan brought you into his office. In fact, the opposite, he gave you the entire file his father had been working on until the day he died. Isn't that the kind of person you want in your corner?'

'Maybe, but...no, I just want you. Right now, I just want you.'

Now the flood came, and Beckett buried her head in her hands as she sobbed. She turned to him, felt his arms come around her. 'Oh, God, Richard, I thought I'd dealt with a lot of this when Dick Coonan died.'

'I know, I know you don't want to relive that.'

'But...I mean, we can track down leads that Jarrad Brennan looked at.'

'Kate, I love you and will support whatever you want to do, but let me ask you a very important question.' Castle nudged her up so he could look his wife, his precious Kate, square in the eye. 'Are you sure you want to do this now, with the baby on the way? Because I know you inside out, and when it comes to your mother's case you are all or nothing.'

'I know that too, and...I want to read what Jarrad found out.' Beckett swiped the back of her hand under her eyes. 'I promise you, I swear on my mother's grave if we find something that is valid I will go after it, but I will not chase down an empty lead.'

'Okay.'

As if to signal them it was time for a mental pause,the teakettle's whistle sounded shrilly, so Castle rose from his spot to fix the lemon herbal tea she favoured during her pregnancy, then on an inspiration, diverted himself into his office to bring back a stack of loose-leaf paper with a couple of pens, pencils, highlighters and some post-it notes. He brought the lot of it over, saw Beckett had spread out Brennan Senior's reports and looked at the notes over her shoulder while he poured tea, added fresh lemon.

'What is there so far?'

'So far, it's similar to Raglan's. She was found in the alley with the stab wounds, her purse was there so they didn't want cash or her jewelery because that was with her too. Now this is interesting.'

'What?'

'After he called it in, Brennan inventoried her purse, and her cellphone was in there.'

'Really?' Castle straightened up a little, squinted at the paper with what he assumed was Brennan's writing on it. 'Are you sure?'

'Yeah, look at this, he's noted this came from his scratchpad on scene. Wallet with seventy dollars cash, Mastercard and Visa both there, mini-brag book of photos, keys, disposable camera unused and still in the box, roll of Certs, make-up bag and cellphone. Now look at the report from half an hour later when CSU got there with Raglan. The only thing different is that her cellphone was missing.'

'Is it possible it was dumped or overlooked in a nearby trashcan?'

Beckett gave a little laugh. 'I always thought my mother was a little snooty for having a cellphone when she first got one, you know? I thought it was so Hollywood of her, so I got her this ridiculously girly faceplate for it. It was rhine-stoned to hell and back with silver and pink and purple glittery stones. Even in a dark alley you would see that.'

'Gang kids wouldn't take something like that,' Castle shook his head. 'Gang kids would go for the cash and the jewelery that's an easy fence, not something that would be traceable like a cellphone. So where did it go?'

'Exactly.'

He held his breath, waiting for the hopeful stuttering that maybe it was still in the property room, in a cold case, but to his amazement, she simply made notes, put a post-it note on the page with a few more points, turned the page over and looked at the next sheet. 'What's next?'

'Give me a moment, okay? Oh, thank you.' Beckett rubbed her tummy where she felt the baby give her a loving little nudge, as if to reassure her everything would be okay. 'Thank you, bumpy. Okay this...this appears to be his trying to find out information on her cellphone. He talked to my dad.' She paused, frowning. 'This must have been just after he got into rehab because the copies of this phone record are only dated to about six years before I met you, which is when he went into rehab the last time and it stuck.'

'Right.' Castle recalled how when she'd finally broken to tell him the story of losing her mother, she'd mentioned he was five years sober. 'What was he able to find out?'

'He got her cellphone records. Not the transcripts, the phone companies weren't doing that for cellphones yet at the time, but he got the record of all her incoming and outgoing calls. The last outgoing call was to our home phone number, and the last incoming call was made about half an hour later, from this number.'

Beckett cocked her head to the side, like she was trying to recall her own mental file. 'I should know that number, I...it's ringing a distant bell.'

'What did Raglan say in his report?'

'He wouldn't have said anything, right? He didn't list her cellphone as being in his original on-scene findings so why would her need to dig into her cellphone records? Brennan on the other hand has the whole story and wouldn't let it rest.'

Castle saw where she was starting to go with this line. 'Kate, remember your promise.'

'I know. And I will keep it.'


	40. The Release

True to her word, Beckett read the information, and once finished, sat back against the couch. Jarrad Brennan had found out bits and pieces here and there but the biggest one was the cellphone and its records. Where had it gone? Why hadn't Raglan thought to look for it? Why hadn't her father mentioned it, why hadn't she mentioned it when they picked up her effects? Too many questions, she thought, whose answers were as murky as the case itself.

'Katherine Louise,' Castle commented still staring at the fire, 'You are thinking way too much for someone claiming she needs a nap.'

'Rest,' she corrected in a smaller voice. 'I said I wanted to rest, not nap.'

'Either way, the noise from your head is keeping me awake.'

'Love you too, honey.'

'Love you,' Castle replied, kissing her while he stroked a hand over her bump. 'When the time comes you'll know what to do with this.'

'Maybe...no, forget it.'

'What?'

Beckett plucked at the bed-sheet, lower lip thrust out in a tiny pout. 'You know what would really work? Sex. Hot, dirty pig sex you need to just obliterate every conscious thought in your head. Like...meditation with a nice loud orgasm at the end.'

'Aren't you concerned you might wake up RJ?'

Beckett narrowed her eyes at him. 'A hot, horny preggo is asking you to fuck her senseless and you're asking those kinds of questions? Really?'

'Not anymore more. To the bedroom, love!'

Tugging on her hand, Castle lead her upstairs like they were teenagers sneaking off to get lucky at a party, and carefully closed the door behind him. The moment he had, his mouth was on hers, searching and seeking to root out all the negative energy he knew was still floating around inside her.

'Rich,' she murmured between his hard, soul-cleansing kisses, 'more.'

It was all that needed to be said, as he latched onto her mouth once again, fighting with the snap of her jeans and yanking them, along with her panties, over her hips and tossing them aside. Her own hands were busy shoving at him, as Castle trailed kisses over her throat, her collarbone, he shoved them the rest of the way off so he was as naked as she was as he gently tumbled them to the bed; he eased behind her so Beckett would feel everything her body demanded of his.

When his hand stroked up her thigh to find her, he hardened almost instantly when he felt the slickness there, warm and wet. Knowing this wasn't the time for tender pledges of his love for her, his hand flashed up to her breast, and he twisted her back so he could take that heated sweet peak into his mouth, sucking and teasing her as she cried out his name. He nearly shot her over the edge when he flicked his tongue over her rock hard nipple; his touch moved back down her body and he groaned at what he felt there.

'You're so wet,' he murmured against her skin. 'It's so fucking hot.'

He moved his hand from her breast down to stroke between her thighs, and was rewarded when he heard her strangled cry of pleasure. He slipped one finger, then two inside that tight vault, drew them in and out slowly, knowing the languid pace would drive her even more crazy for him.

Beckett couldn't think; she doubted she could even see anymore. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Before she could stop herself, the words were tumbling out of her. 'Rich,' she whispered, 'fuck me, please, I want you inside me so badly, baby.'

'How?' he demanded in the same breathy voice as he continued to fondle her. 'From behind or you on top?'

'Behind.'

Castle said nothing, just moved so Beckett could roll to her stomach, the bump braced and supported by one of their pillows as she braced her hands against their smooth headboard. God help him, he thought fleetingly, she was practically on her elbows and knees, chest heaving as she waiting for him. He pulled her hips close to his and drove himself inside her roughly, making her cry out in tortured pleasure. Once more, to his dark delight, she didn't resist his lack of finesse but instead panted for more.

'Again,' she moaned, crying out when he thrust into her. 'Hard and fast.'

Castle took her at her word and gave them both exactly what they wanted - good, hard sweaty fucking. It couldn't be called sex, certainly not making love, just two people in touch with their inner animals so hot for each other they would explode from the torture of control. His hips were moving like lightening against hers, and when she all but screamed that she was coming, Castle knew he had no choice but to follow her and spill himself inside her.

They collapsed on the bed, out of breath like they'd run a marathon. Face down and breath whistling against her pillows, Beckett felt the smug satisfaction of good, rough sex creep over her face, and she laughed a little.

'Do you know how long I've been waiting to do that with you?' she asked. 'All week.'

'Nice. Oh, honey.' Castle rubbed his hand over Beckett's stomach, which was bopping away like it was on the main float of Carnivale. 'I don't think bumpy's too happy with you.'

'He or she will understand when he or she meets the love of her life.' But she rolled to her side, massaged the bump as Castle pulled up the sheets over their bodies in case their other little one wandered in. 'If you were me, what would you do about the phone records?'

'I'm not-'

'Humour me. You go to Montgomery or would you do it on the DL, or what?'

'If I were you, thirty weeks pregnant with a small son and people who love me and know how dangerous a road this is to walk, I would go to Montgomery first and tell him what you've found so that no matter how I pursue it, I've got one more person on my side who's got my back.'

It was what she'd initially thought anyways, so Beckett looked at him, nodded. 'That's the plan. I love you so much.'

'I love you too.' Castle tilted his head and scrambled up, grabbed his boxers and found Beckett's panties and a t-shirt for her. 'Put those on.'

'Why?'

But before Castle could answer and microseconds after he'd tugged the silk over his hips, the doorknob turned and RJ came in with his rabbit, knuckling his eyes. 'Hi-hi Daddy,' he yawned, then looked over at the bed. 'Mumum? Whasha doin' home? No baddies nee' cashing to-day?'

'Not exactly.' This was another unexpected complication, one that hadn't even crossed her mind as she sat in the living room reading through the notes Brennan Junior had given her: how to tell RJ about this? He'd knew that his mother's mother was dead but they'd never really talked about it.

She looked at Castle, who'd also found a shirt, and was watching her with careful eyes. 'RJ, we need to have an important talk.'

'Bumpy okay?' RJ's littlte eyes went round with panic, and he raced to his mother's side, pressed his hands to her bump. 'Bumpy, it okay, Ah-Shay here, no be suh-cared.'

'No, it's okay, RJ, bumpy's fine,' Beckett said, emotion lodging a lump in her throat so fast she wondered how she didn't choke. Instead she patted the space in front of her on the bed and RJ climbed up with his stuffed bunny; when he was settled she looked him square on. 'No, this is about my mother.'

'She no' here. She in heaven,' he replied solemnly. 'Why she no' here, Mumum?'

'Because when I was at university, a very very bad guy hurt her and she died.'

'You cash him?'

'Yes, we found him and he...he was punished for the bad things he did.'

'So why so sad?' RJ asked innocently.

'We found out he killed her because someone paid him a lot of money, and...and we never found who that someone was. But I met someone today who had some information that might help me find out who it was that gave the bad guy money to hurt my mom.'

'You get'em Mumum. You the best, you find'im,' RJ reassured her with a little pat on the hand with the confidence and bravado of the truly innocent. 'You tuh...tuh-ry you' bes', Mumum?'

'Always.'

'That the mos' im-ort-an'. You always say tuh...tuh-ry you' bes.'

Castle saw the emotions storm over her face and went over to RJ. 'Come on, RJ, why don't we let Mumum get dressed and we'll go find some vitamins for Omeo.'

'Okay Daddy.' But before he went over to join his father, RJ leaned down and kissed his mother's pregnant bump. 'It okay, bumpy. Mumum, Ah-Shay here and Daddy here too. You 'tay safe 'cause Mumum cash big bad baddies.'

Beckett watched her little man and her big man leave; she breathed slowly, then grabbed her cellphone out of her purse to dial a very specific number.

'Captain? It's Beckett. I need to talk to you tomorrow morning about my mother's case.'


	41. The Family Men

Ryan and Esposito watched with baited breath while pretending not to watch with baited breath just what it was that Beckett was telling Montgomery in his office.

'Think it's baby related?' Esposito mused while on hold on the phone.

'No, she has that stuff already taken care of, it's gotta be about the file we found at Brennan's yesterday.'

'Maybe,' Ryan pondered, then averted his eyes when she came out of the office, looking like her usual self, if slightly tired. 'Hey, Beckett,' he ventured when she sat down on the edge of her desk. 'How'd your meeting go?'

'Fine.'

'Baby or mama?'

'Mama,' she said so casually that Esposito nearly went ass-over-teakettle out of his chair in his haste to sit up straight.

'Mama? The captain's cool with you going after whatever you found in that file from Brennan?'

'There's something in there with potential, but I've got other priority cases right now. I've waited this long for something, a few more days won't hurt.'

'Is this Kate Beckett talking?' Ryan looked incredulous.

'This is Kate Beckett-Castle, wife and mother who has more than herself to think about now. You remember what we talked about with the Eli Novak case? How I was a lot like him at first but then things changed? This falls into that category. Finding out who killed my mother is something I will never give up on, but I won't let that cost me my family. None of them.'

'So let us help you,' Esposito said softly. 'We're all here for you Beckett, for the happy bumpy moments and the not-so-happy bumps too.'

'I can't ask that of you, to risk yourselves and your families.'

'You are family, and- yes, this is Detective Esposito.' He switched back to the phone conversation, which left Ryan to pick it up.

'He's right, Kate. We are family and we don't let our loved ones go it alone.'

'Well damn it.' Her eyes welled up and she reached for a tissue on her desk before she could embarrass herself in her own bullpen. 'That's so mean, making a pregnant woman cry.'

'Unintentional, but a side-effect of being nice nonetheless.' Ryan grinned at her. 'Think a dirty joke might work?'

'Maybe. Try it.'

'Okay. A man walks into a bar, and he can't figure out why none of the women are going for him. He looks down the bar and sees another guy not nearly as handsome as him, and suddenly there's tonnes of women around him, so the handsome guy asks, what's so special about him? And the bartender says, I dunno man, he just orders a beer then starts licking his eyebrows.'

'Oh, Ryan!' Beckett shoved him in the shoulder as he gave her the altar-boy-with-a-frog-under-his-robe charming grin. 'That's disgusting.'

'Worked, didn't it?'

'Yeah, I guess it did.'

'Yo, Beckett, we'll have the tapes from city traffic by lunchtime.' Esposito strolled over with the post-it note in his hand, looked at his giggling colleagues. 'I miss something?'

'Ryan's telling dirty jokes.'

'Oh like hell, this guy? He doesn't know any good ones!'

'Okay, okay, no need to get out the measuring tapes,' Beckett chuckled. 'Let's focus on what's important. Esposito, where are we for Brennan's case?'

'Brennan's confessed and the reports from CSU confirming what he's said will be in by end of shift today, and for the third time, city traffic is sending over the tapes to confirm that Greg was home before Adam arrived at the apartment building.'

'Excellent. What else do we have on the go?'

'The warrants for Ramon Acajou's safety deposit box should be in our possession within the hour, which means going uptown to Bank of America on Lexington, and...that's it, it's been pretty quiet around here,' Esposito realized, looking around. 'We have time to go over that file, if you want.'

'Okay. You make the tea, I'll meet you in the conference room.'

Ten minutes later, Beckett had a decaf Earl Grey latte at her elbow while her men had their usual espresso bevvies, and they were looking over the same file that Beckett had the previous afternoon, with her notes added in.

'What we've got here is Jarrad Brennan's original on-scene notes, his observations about the investigative team and his own leads he tracked that fizzled or produced nothing of consequence. Good or bad, he kept it all, and gave it to Adam.' Beckett reached for the top sheet, handed it to Esposito on her left, then the official CSU report to Ryan. 'Esposito, read aloud the inventory of the purse from Brennan's notes.'

Esposito cleared his throat, then looked at Beckett. 'You sure this is being helpful, that you're not just pawning us off with ass-numbing paperwork?'

'I'm sure. Please read it.'

'Okay. Brennan lists a wallet with seventy dollars cash, her credit cards, a little wallet of photos, her keys, disposable camera unused and still in the box, roll of Certs, make-up bag and cellphone.'

'Ryan?'

The other detective skimmed the paper he had, then looked up at Esposito. 'I've got no cellphone listed on the inventory here. Was it not found?'

'No, and it should have been very noticeable. I got her a new faceplate for her cellphone, it was this totally girlie thing with pink and silver and purple rhinestones all over it. Even in the dim lighting you would see it.'

'Gang kids wouldn't take it, they'd go for the stuff they can pawn for quick cash,' Esposito murmured, then looked at Beckett. 'You guys didn't ask for it back?'

'I could barely put on a pair of matching socks the next morning, never mind think of her cellphone going missing.'

There was a knock on the door, and Geoffs stuck his head in. 'Sorry to interrupt, guys, but there is a very worried Mister Castle out here looking for you, Beckett.'

'Oh, God, he knows I'm working in the office today, I'm not hunting down serial killers,' Beckett sighed, shoving back from the table and taking a moment to steady her weight as she shot up from the chair. 'I'm okay,' she told Ryan who went to take her elbow, 'but he won't be when I'm finished kicking his ass.'

Shoving up the sleeves of her sweater she left the conference room, prepared to chew out her husband for being such a nanny-goat. Her tirade died before the first word left her lips when she saw Castle there, certainly, in her desk chair, but in the visitor's chair was her son, swinging his little legs and looking around in fascination.

'Castle, what is going on in your mind that you think it is okay to just drop in and check up on me like this,' she started to steam.

'Not me, him. We were out doing a few errands and when I said we were close to your work, RJ demanded we go check on his bumpy.'

'Gotta be shoo you 'tay safe,' RJ tacked on with a regal authority only a toddler could muster. 'You cashin' ve-wee bad guy, Mumum, I gotta be shoo my bumpy 'tay safe.'

'Hey, little man.' Ryan came over, offered his fingertips out to RJ and grinned wickedly when the youngster tapped them feed-the-birds style. 'You popping in for some rookie training?'

'What a r..rookie?'

'A first year police officer.'

'Oh.' RJ pondered it for a moment, then shook his head. 'Nuh-uh, that bumpy.'

'Bumpy's the rookie?' Esposito asked, coming up and catching the end of the conversation.

'Uh-huh, ah-cause bumpy 'till in-side Mumum. They a team. Mumum, bumpy hun-guh-ry?'

'I could go for a snack,' Beckett replied. 'You have any fish and chips on you?'

'No, Mumum, goo' food fo' my bumpy. Lossa veggies, like Ryan. Tah-rini say he a veshie-sau-rus.'

Esposito tried to turn his laugh into a cough without much success as he watched Ryan's face go from amused to slightly insulted. 'That sounds like Trini got it from her big sister.'

'Yeah, yeah, we're all one big happy family.' Beckett massaged the spot where the baby had elbowed her near the ribs. 'What's this about snacks?'

'Oh, right!' Castle bent down to reach by his feet and came up with a grocery bag. 'We went to Martindale's with Agatha this morning before she went to her cooking class. We've got all your favourites.'

'Daddy say you wan' ships an' cuh-ream soda and 'pinach an' shicken and buns, Mumum. And fuh-ruits. They yummy an' goo' fo bumpy,' RJ told her, reaching out to stroke the belly. 'Bumpy need-a be bigger a-fore it bee-day time.'

'Man, that is one smart little boy,' Esposito murmured, then address RJ directly. 'Yo, RJ.'

'Yes, Javi?'

'Think bumpy will be nice and share with a couple of other cops?'

'I'unno, I ask.'

All the cops were charmed when RJ leaned over, put his ear right up against Beckett's belly and nodded every so often. 'Uh-huh. You hun-guh-ry? Javi an' Ryan hun-guh-ry too. You shah? Uh-huh. Okay. Mwah.'

He pecked his lips over the bump, then looked at the two detectives. 'Bump say it nice to shah.'


	42. The Dinner Alone: 32 Weeks

'Thanks again for this, Shane, I really appreciate it.'

'No problem, man, besides, it's not like it's a chore to me. We bros gotta stick together, right RJ?'

Shane looked over at RJ, who was stuffing his little feet into his shoes, his overnight bag packed and sitting beside him on the floor. THe kid was hilariously independent, he thought as he watched the boy arm-wrestle the tangle of laces. He looked up at Shane and grinned in a style that was all Castle-charm.

'Righ' Shane! We 'tick-a gedder!'

'So what are you going to do with your RJ-free night?' Shane asked Castle.

'I've got it planned out. Making her dinner, fancy cider, sexy movie, just alone time for us.'

'Mumum workin' hard-a cash baddies, Shane,' RJ explained in the way toddlers did to make sure they were included, 'an' Daddy say she nee' fan-cy guh-rown-up time.'

'Everyone needs that sometimes, RJ.'

'You an' Lessis have fan-cy guh-rown-up time too?'

'We do indeed.' Shane tried to not blush as he thought of the previous Tuesday when he'd gotten to see her and they'd spent a good hour in bed just wrapped up in each other. 'Okay, you have everything, little man?'

'Yes! I have Omeo an' cuh-lothes an' shoes an' ever'thin'!'

'Then give your daddy a kiss and a hug and we'll be off.'

RJ marched over to Castle, flung his arms around his thighs. 'You wash bumpy, righ'? Make shoo bumpy 'tay safe?'

'Always, RJ.' Castle picked up his son, kissed him loudly. 'Now go have some fun with Shane, okay?'

'O-kay! 'Mon, Omeo it buh-ro'n-law nigh'!'

Castle watched his boy go with the other man and wondered if Shane knew just how much RJ adored him, like he was already part of the family. Hell the boy did think of him as family, he realized, remembering how RJ hadn't made the distinction between SHane being Alexis' fiance and her husband. To the tyke, he was just Shane.

But thinking on things like that could wait, as Castle had more important fish to fry. Looking around, he decided that the loft wasn't in too bad of shape. He'd spent the morning Hoovering and wiping and polishing - no easy task with an almost-three-year-old underfoot - so the next step was putting things away where they needed to go. Like the Tasmanian Devil on a mission Castle blitzed through the living room picking up RJ's toys, the newspapers and magazines that always covered the coffee table, the various remotes to the TV and fireplace and sound system.

Once they were taken care of, the dining room came next. He snapped out the red and white checkered cloth, added candles in glasses holders and a small bouquet of white hydrangea in an old wine-bottle vase. A quick trip to the curio cabinet gave him his and Beckett's wedding china - the stuff they saved for holiday and important family dinners, as was the good silverware. He lit the candles, dimmed the overhead lights to set the mood.

'Music,' he mumbled to himself. 'She needs a little music.'

Going to the stereo once more, he plugged in his iPod for the jazz mix he knew his wife would appreciate. Though they were having Italian, he knew that accordions and trumpets weren't what she would want tonight. So with Amy Winehouse's melancholy alto drifting quietly on the air, Castle went back to the kitchen once more to lift the lid on his right-from-scratch bolognaise sauce. It would be mixed with Alfredo sauce for a deliciously taste and texture, and they would pour the whole delightful tasty mess over whole wheat spaghetti.

He'd just added the Alfredo and had the water on to boil the pasta when his head whipped up at the sound of keys in the locks. Relief was only momentary when he saw it was Agnes and Jim. 'Hey guys, didn't think you were stopping over tonight.'

'I thought you were going to be gone?' Jim said, looking at Castle. 'I only came by to collect those records I lent you.'

'Ah, in the office.'

Castle pointed him in the right direction, then smiled at Agnes. 'Where are you two off to this fine evening?'

'Oh, we just came from a four o'clock movie and we're on our way to my apartment for the evening. Jim thought we'd stop in and grab those old LPs from you since we were coming by.'

'Ah.'

'How is Kate doing?'

'Really well, but I can tell she's starting to get to the end-stage cranky phase, where she's done being pregnant and just wants the baby here.'

'I've given birth three times, so I understand her pain on that front,' Agnes laughed, then looked over where she saw Jim with the small stack of records in his hands. 'You ready, music man?'

'You know it. Tell Kate when she's home tonight that Agnes and I are stopping in this weekend for brunch!'

'Bye you guys.'

Castle didn't bother following them over to lock the door, as he didn't want them to see just how red his face had become: the records Jim had lent Castle were from when Beckett had been going through her second-trimester horny-phase and he'd discovered the man had some nice mood-setting music. The idea that he and Agnes were going to do it that night disturbed him almost as much as the idea that his firstborn often did the same thing with Shane.

Pushing it out of his mind, he focused on dropping small handfuls of pasta into the boiling water, poking at them with a fork. His timing, it seemed, was impeccable as he'd no sooner drained the pasta from the water and the front door was opening.

'Hey, I'm home in one piece! No bruising, no shredded knuckles, and most definitely not...'

Beckett trailed off as she set down her filebag, looked at the lovely table set with the flowers; their perfume was accompanied by the rich heart scent of pasta sauce and fresh noodles. 'What is all this?' she asked in bewildered delight.

'This is a date night in the comfort of your very own home.' Castle wiped his hands on a clean towel, then went to the fridge to pull out the little platter of antipasti. 'All your favourites. There's bacon-wrapped asparagus, the little cheese and tomato on toast things, the black olives and the mushrooms with olive oil. You thirsty?'

'Very.' Beckett rubbed her hands over her belly; suddenly she felt very frumpy in her maternity pants and top that she'd worn all day to work. 'Mind if I go upstairs and freshen up a little bit?'

'Not at all.'

When she'd hit the top stair, Castle went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of sparkling non-alcoholic wine, poured it into glasses and took them to the table along with the antipasti. Going with instinct, he went back and heaped spaghetti and sauce onto their dinner plates as well, brought over the basket of Shane's insanely awesome cheesy bread.

Castle heard the sound of a throat being cleared and when he looked up, he took his time taking in the sight of his beautiful wife. She'd put on a tomato red pregnancy dress, untied her hair so it fell in a soft and rippling mink-brown waterfall over her shoulders. She'd left her feet bare, and he could see she was wearing a little silver toe ring; her pedicure was a sassy red to match her dress.

'How do I look?' she asked sweetly, almost shyly, as if this was a first date.

'You look like an angel,' Castle replied honestly, putting a hand to his heart. 'Seriously, Kate, you look just gorgeous.'

'Take a picture to remember that ten minutes from now when I'm shoveling in food.

Dinner, Beckett realized as he led her by the hand to the table and pulled out her chair for her, was something she'd been truly looking forward to that night, after a day of nothing but disappointments in one of their other cold cases. She wanted to sit down with her husband and tell him exactly what she thought of the killer and the victim's family as she'd tried to dig out the root of why the murder had happened in the first place.

She twirled her fork in the pasta, used her spoon as a little drip-catch, then looked around, a little confused. 'Where's RJ?' she inquired after gulping down her mouthful.

'Shane took him to his place for the night, to have a brother-in-law sleepover, as it were,' Castle replied, then gestured with a piece of bread at her wine glass. 'It's non-alcoholic, sweetie, it's okay to have.'

'Okay.' Beckett took a sip, then laughed. 'Oh my God, this really does taste like it, doesn't it?'

'It does indeed. And this is only the start of the night.'

'Oh?'

'Mm-hmm. After this, we are having tiramisu ice cream with graham crackers and then we are going to get very...comfortable,' Castle drew out the word to make it sizzle, 'and watch an old favourite movie together.'

'Which one?'

'I was thinking something like _Cat People_, the David Bowie one.'

'Isn't that the one with lots of nudity?' Beckett asked him, sipping more of her 'wine'.

'Uh-huh.'

'Sounds perfect.'


	43. The Check Up: 33 Weeks

_Hello everyone! Are you as excited as me that this past monday was our last Castle-free monday for a very long time? Also THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who is reading and favouriting and reviewing, whether you're a die-hard (ahem, NCISchick) or a newbie; I love to see everyone's feedback! We're in the home stretch for a baby! What's it going to be!_

* * *

><p>Beckett shifted uncomfortably in her seat in the waiting lounge of the Saint Vincent clinic while she waited her turn. As Harvey was on rotation in the hospital today, he was taking care of his patients through the clinic rather than in his regular office space.<p>

'Mumum?'

'Yes, RJ.' She looked down at her son sitting beside her, his own patience wearing thin as well.

'When we gonna see bumpy pisher?'

'Soon, my little prince.'

'Why Dotta Hah-vee no' here?'

'He's here, but he's looking after other mumums and their bumpies,' Castle explained from his spot on the other side of his son. 'They were here first so they get to go first.'

Beckett smiled, went back to her case notes she was reviewing in preparation for her court appearance the next day for Adam Brennan's arraignment. He would get booted from the force, but he would probably avoid jail time - as Ian Link was the prosecutor for the case, he'd probably worked with Brennan before and knew the man was solid.

Shifting for what felt like the thousandth time Beckett looked up at the clock. Her brain was focused less on Brennan's court case at the moment and more on the fact that Castle had promised to take her to Remy's that night. She wanted her turkey burger with Swiss cheese, lettuce, onions and honey mustard, and a double-chocolate shake. God even thinking about it was giving her the goose-bumps.

Thankfully before she could daydream herself into a food-gasm, the nurse on duty called her name and she looked over at RJ and Castle. 'That's us, boys.'

'Yea! We gonna see bumpy!' RJ clapped his hands and followed his parents into the room, with Castle distracting him as Beckett put on the gown and slipped off her panties for when Harvey gave her a pelvic exam. 'So what should we call bumpy if it turns out to be a boy?'

'Hmm.' He screwed up his little face in concentration, actually tapped a little finger to his chin. 'Wha' 'bout...ummm...Ales?'

'Alex?' Beckett eased herself onto the exam table, swinging her legs much like RJ did when he sat on the kitchen counters while helping the chef of the day. 'I like that. Alexander Castle.'

'Sacky, Mumum. Alessan'er Castle. But no sayin 'Less'. There ah-ready a Less an' she bes'.' RJ paused. 'Alessis be here fo' La-la-ween?'

'She might have Hallowe'en plans with Shane and her friends at school, too.'

'Wan' show Less my cos'ume.'

The door opened and Beckett knew from one look at Harvey's face this was going to be a quick trip; he was dressed in his scrubs and had his 'Hello My Name Is' badge scrub-cap tied on his head. Behind him Andrea came in wearing her Sera-Mun scrubs, the ones Beckett knew she favoured during deliveries.

'HI-hi, Dotta Hah-vee!' RJ greeted him brightly. 'We gonna see bumpy pisher?'

'You know it, little man. In fact we're going to do that part first and if you're a big help to me and Lady Nurse Brick, there might be a prize in it for you.'

'No, it okay, I jus' wanna see my bumpy.'

Andrea arched an eyebrow to her fringe of red bangs. 'That's a first. Well, either way,' she shrugged, turned on the sonogram machine and held up the bottle of gel. 'You know the drill, Katie-Lou.'

Beckett made a face, but relented, lifted her gown so Andrea could smear the gel on, and then brought RJ over. This was why she and Honey-Milk were so good at their jobs – they understood that children were young human beings who needed intelligent compassion, not dumbed-down mini-mes.

'Okay, RJ, you want to help with this part?' Andrea asked him.

'It no' hur' bumpy or Mumum?'

'Nope, just like the last time.'

'Okay.'

RJ closed his little hand over the reading wand, then Andrea covered his small one with hers so they were moving and adjusting it together. When the _wub-wub-wub_ of the heartbeat came through the speakers, RJ giggled in delight.

'Wow, Mumum, bumpy hear' goin' way fas'!'

'It should be, it's working very hard to get big.' Andrea pushed the appropriate buttons to take measurements and copies of the image for printing for the parents' baby book. 'So, are we having a baby shower soon, or what?'

'Or what. The baby's due the first week of January, which is way too close to the holidays. Alexis is going to be home for a visit, plus there's Chanukah and Christmas and New Year's so, it's going to be a busy couple of weeks for everyone. I want to be able to enjoy it.'

'Understandable.'

'Anduh-rea, you comin' fo' La-la-ween?'

'Yes, I am,' Andrea laughed, 'so are Daniel and Nessa too.'

'She haffa cos'ume?'

'She certainly does.' Andrea winked at the boy, took more measurements of the baby on-screen. 'But it's a surprise.'

'You' cos'ume a suh-pise, too?'

'Yep.'

RJ pouted then rubbed Beckett's belly. 'Bumpy no' need a cos'ume. Nex' year. Ew, that icky!'

Andrea reached over to wipe medical gel off of the boy's hands, then put him on his feet on the ground. 'Okay, time to go find a prize for you for being a good help to me today.'

'No, it okay. I 'tay here wit' bumpy, I say 'it okay, no be 'cared bumpy.'

'RJ I know you want to stay and help, but Harvey needs some privacy for examining your mom,' Castle told his son gently, recognizing the stubborn light in his eyes. He'd seen it more than once in Beckett's and knew he had to head him off at the pass. 'It's not for little boys to see.'

'It fo' adul's?'

'Yes, it's for adults.'

'Okay, I go fin' suh-pise wit' Anduh-rea.'

RJ took her hand, let himself be led out of the room, and Harvey shook his head as he snapped on latex gloves to give Beckett her pelvic exam. The pressure of it had her groaning in discomfort, and she made a pout face when Harvey moved his fingers around to check for abnormalities.

'You're right on track, Kate,' he informed her, removing his hand from her nether-area and stripping off the gloves. 'The baby's starting its turn-around so in the next few days breathing should be a lot easier.'

'What about my due date? Will it be born after New Year's?'

'Kate, seventy-five percent of babies arrive after the due date and a lucky five percent are born the predicted day. You'll be eating turkey and latkes uninterrupted.'

'You keep worrying like that, it might not be the case,' Castle pointed out and felt himself on the receiving end of an icy stare. 'I know that look, I'll shut up.'

'Good idea.'

'Okay, let's have a look at the weight,' Harvey continued, helping her to her feet and leading her to the scales; he noted down the information. 'You're a healthy size Kate, but I still think this baby is going to be all baby.'

'As opposed to ninety percent baby and ten percent tomato?'

'Why can you make jokes like that?' Castle complained.

'Because I'm the mumum,' Beckett replied smoothly, 'I'm gestating the bumpy, I get to tease the bumpy. Case closed.'

'Fair point.'

'This is going to be a bigger baby than RJ, closer to eight pounds, maybe even nine. Your blood pressure looks good as well, Kate,' Harvey added, then sighed when his pager went off. 'Damn, damn, damn, I was hoping she'd wait. I've got a patient, my Scientologist's cousin who wants the same kind of silent birth as she had and the demands those two have been making has been driving my wife insane.'

'Your wife insa- oh. Oh, I get you,' Castle said, putting it together. 'Yeah, I don't think we'll do that to you this time around.'

'You didn't before. Okay, clean up and Andrea and RJ should be in the waiting lounge down the hallway, on the left right before the reception desk.'

Harvey left, and Beckett flapped her hands. 'Rick, get me a Kleenex.'

'A Kleenex?'

'Or a bath towel, whatever's there.'

Castle looked around, saw a box of tissues on the table beside him and passed them to his grossed out wife. 'What is it?'

'That stupid medical gel, it feels so gross, like seriously, seriously, slimy. Blech.'

'You deal with dead people for a living,' he reminded her as she wiped down her abdomen.

'Yeah, finding out why they're dead. Lanie and Shane like to play with the squishy parts.'

'Don't say things like that.' Castle gave an exaggerated shudder. 'Shane, squishy and playing shouldn't be in the same sentence, it makes me think of him with Alexis and...I'm going to stop right there, it's not something a father should ever, ever think or know about.'

Beckett just smiled at him. 'And just think. You get to go through that all again if this one's a girl too!'

'Kate, we're having a nice afternoon together, why are you spoiling it by giving me nightmares?'


	44. The Potential Lead

'One more month, baby. Then there won't be anymore of this getting up early nonsense. We can sleep as late as we want,' Beckett murmured to the bump as she rolled over with her alarm clock. Though it was her day off the roll, that only meant she wasn't going into the precinct or the field.

There was another, highly important case needing her importance.

Levering herself up, she went to the ensuite to run water for a nice hot shower and thinking time. It was Hallowe'en so that would mean there was decorating to be done, but she had a very important errand to run this morning. Castle and RJ were going to come with her, but they - or rather Castle - understood the trip itself would be made independently.

Hair washed, body parts she could reach nicely razored, and skin saturated with moisturizers from her soaps, she stepped out and wasn't surprised to find the bed empty. _Breakfast_, she thought, and the baby gave her insides a happy little kick.

'I know, Daddy's making us breakfast, isn't he? Let's go find out if he and RJ are making us something very delicious.'

Beckett dressed in her maternity jeans and a thick summer-yellow sweater, then headed to the kitchen where sure enough she found her men in their aprons; Castle was attending to the sliced ham leftover from dinner the night before in the pan, and RJ was stirring something in a bowl with amazing patience.

'What do my chefs have on the go this morning?' she asked brightly and both looked over with matching smiles.

'Hi-hi Mumum! We makin' you an' bumpy Fuh-rensh toas' an' ham! You wan' a juicy?' RJ asked, still stirring his bowl.

'I would love some juice sweetie.'

'Daddy, Mumum an bumpy nee' a juicy.'

Castle nodded, but gave RJ a stern look. 'Young man I thought we talked this morning about this.'

'Righ', as' firs'. Hol' on bumpy, Daddy migh' be busy.' RJ looked back over at his mother where she was sitting down at the kitchen table and checking her email.

'Thanks RJ. And thank you sweetie,' she added to Castle when he brought her the calcium-rich orange juice along with a cup of baby-friendly tea.

'You ready for today?'

'I'm never ready to deal with my mother's case, and yet I'm always hungry to find out information that could lead somewhere.'

'He knows you're coming?'

'Yeah, I just got a 'see you soon' email from him.'

Castle nodded, went back to the kitchen and set RJ on his feet so he could man the stove himself. The last thing he wanted this Hallowe'en was his son in the burn unit since RJ was so eager to help him but lacked the awareness that simply came with age. He also knew that RJ going over to his mother and bumpy would be good to ease Beckett's nerves over her meeting this morning. Sure enough, RJ had pulled his chair close to hers and was chattering away to the bumpy about the party they were having that night.

When the food was ready, he brought the plates over to the table. He watched how Beckett loaded up her plate, a good sign her nerves weren't getting the better of her - like many of the women in their family, the first thing to go when she was anxious was her appetite. Of course, being pregnant might have something to do with that, too; either way he was happy to see her eating well this morning.

'Mumum, when ev-ee-one geddin' here to-nigh'?' RJ asked, pouring a little puddle of syrup onto his plate and dragging his bite-size bits of French toast through the sticky lake.

'Around six. Trick-or-treating is at seven and then a movie when you're done and then bedtime.'

'We gonna be up late,' he observed. 'That okay?'

'It is, since Dell, Rosie, Carey and Kelley don't have school tomorrow.'

'RJ, eat up,' Castle added, noting that the little boy's breakfast hadn't shrunk in size as they started talking about the party. 'We don't want to make Mumum late.'

'Okay, Daddy.'

Once fed and wiped and dressed in appropriate out-door clothing, and RJ balking only slightly at going in his stroller, they were off for the day, and heading towards Times Square. The noise was remarkable, making Beckett think of the George Seldon book _Cricket in Times Square_ and wondered if she a regular-sized and full-grown human could still be dazzled by it, what the hell must it have been like for Chester Cricket from a Connecticut picnic basket?

'Alright, boys, this is my stop,' she told them when she stopped at the appropriate door. 'What are you two going to do while you wait for me?'

'Shoppin' fo' bumpy, Mumum!' RJ clapped his hands, looked around at the bright colours and noises. 'We gonna get suh-pises!'

'We'll meet you for lunch at Bubba Gump around noon, okay?' Castle added, giving her a lovingly concerned look.

'Sounds good. Love you both so much.'

'We love you an' bumpy too, Mumum! See-ya soon!'

Beckett waved bye-bye at them while they navigated the busy crowd, then looked at the door. She opened it, climbed the stairs to the apartment and knocked briskly.

'Who is it?' a clipped voice asked through the door.

'Detective Kate Beckett.'

There was the sound of stomping foot-steps, and the door was flung open by none other than Officer Cruz. Her hair wasn't tied back in its neat chignon' today it was a tangled mess of rioting curls around a very beautiful and pissed off face.

'You got a lot of nerve showing your face here after what you did to my Adam.' She all but spat the words, arms folded over her chest. 'What makes you think Adam's got anything to say to you?'

'Lina, it's fine.' Appearing from the short hallway to the bedroom and office, Brennan addressed his longtime friend with a calm, almost weary tone. 'She's here to talk about work.'

'Work? Work? You were booted out, Adam, thanks to her!' Cruz gestured wildly at Beckett, then turned back eyes flashing. 'Whatever pity or sneers you want to offer him, forget it, we don't want to hear from you anymore!'

'Lina,' Brennan said once more, a little harsher this time, 'it's not about me losing my job. It's something else.'

Cruz looked like she wanted to rip Beckett's liver out and swallow it without chewing but she sniffed haughtily and took a step back. 'Fine. But I'm going to be in the living room and if I hear anything-'

'Lina, it's not your business. Go take a walk over to that bagel place we like, grab me a dozen.'

Though the cop's eyes sparkled with fury she nodded and left after retrieving her purse. The moment the door closed, Brennan actually let out a low growl.

'I'm sorry for her behaviour...may I call you Kate?'

'Sure, if I can call you Adam.'

'That's fair. Here, come sit down, you've got enough to do growing that baby.' Brennan gestured to the ratty-looking but comfortable armchair in his living room while he took the end of the couch closest to her. 'Sorry again for Lina. She's not exactly your biggest fan right now.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, she thinks you've had it in for the two of us since Helena Roland because you warned her away from Shane Weaver.'

'Oh really?' Not the reason she'd come, Beckett knew, but this was a fun sidebar. 'Why's that?'

'She thinks she has a shot with him and you're just being hormonal. I've been trying to tell her that he's engaged to your stepdaughter and they're getting married next July but she didn't budge until last week when she was at the morgue on a DB and he turned her down stone-cold, like she couldn't even finish her sentence.'

'I know, Alexis told me about it, she said he was having a little bit of a freak-out about it, mostly because he knew about what friends of ours went through with a similar situation and a girl wouldn't get the hint. But anyways. I want to discuss the whole phone records thing and ask you a couple of questions about what your father found out.'

'Sure.'

'Why didn't he track it down?'

'He tried, he couldn't get a warrant the phone companies asked for. He would have had to get officially assigned by the Cold Case Unit and come back with enough to get official paperwork.'

'And if he tried to come at it from another angle, he risked being flagged for civilian harassment and then he couldn't so much as ask about hours of operation,' Beckett concluded, understanding a little better now. 'Do you have any ideas on what could have happened to her cellphone?'

'Honestly? I think it was destroyed. I think it was found by the CSU team and that Raglan ordered them to destroy it because finding it didn't fit his little box. Or...'

'Or what?'

Brennan looked at her, his eyes pensive and troubled. 'Give me until the end of the day, tomorrow by the latest. I'm going to make a few calls, do a little digging here. I have another idea where it might have gone.'


	45. The Hallowe'en Interruption

'So that's it? You're waiting until he comes back to you with whatever he thinks he might have found or figured out?'

'Pretty much.'

'And what if he's just doing this to get back at you for arresting him for murder, Kate?'

Beckett gave Ryan and Esposito both a look, though taking them seriously when the former was dressed up like Robin Hood and the latter as Quint from _Jaws_. 'I know he's not. Cruz thinks that way and if it were her we'd arrested, you can be damn certain she wouldn't help me on my mother's case.'

'How can you be so certain, Beckett?' Ryan asked, stabbing a celery stick into the puddle of dip on his cocktail plate. 'You've been down this road before, and remember how that ended?'

'Adam Brennan is not a killer. I mean, he is, but he was acting in defense of his lover and it was deemed accidental.' Beckett sipped her Witch's Brew punch; it was actually Lili's Key Lime recipe with green food colouring added to make it look positively toxic. 'His father worked my mother's case independently until the day he died, and now his son's working it too. Father and son like that is someone to trust.'

'Okay.' Esposito recognized his friend's tone and knew there was no point in arguing. 'Whatever comes of it, we'll be there to back you up, okay?'

'Okay. Right now it's party time.'

As they all understood this meant it was time to let it go, Esposito wandered off to find Castle, saw him talking to Shane and Alexis dressed as Pele and Poison Ivy – she had indeed, much to her brother's delight , made it home for the weekend – and had to laugh at the father of the bride's costume.

'Seriously, bro? Captain Hammer?'

'What?' Castle shrugged good-naturedly. 'I think it suits me, especially since Joss Whedon decided to base the character off of me.'

'Oh, I'm not even going to touch that one Dad,' Alexis laughed, sipping her beer. 'I'm taking the high road.'

'So, any more wedding planning done yet, you two?' Esposito asked and nearly let out a teasing 'aww' at the loving look that passed between Shane and Alexis.

'We've gotten our rings picked out, we went this morning to the jeweler's and decided on the design we want,' Alexis said.

'They won't be ready for sizing until after Christmas, though,' Shane added.

Castle laughed; he saw the nerves in both their eyes, heard it in their voices, but it wasn't panic – it was excitement. He'd known this day would come for his little girl and he'd always thought he would be a basket-case over it. Seeing her now approaching that day with Shane, so steady and sure, made him wonder why he'd ever doubted that Alexis would choose someone who was unworthy of her. To see them across the room, they looked so different – Alexis was cream and roses, Shane was onyx and gold, but all anyone had to do was look at them for longer than five minutes to see that they were a perfect fit for each other. They'd been through so much together and every challenge they'd faced had only made their relationship stronger.

'Dad?'

'Sorry, sweetie, off on another planet,' Castle apologized to Alexis. 'What was the question?'

'I was asking how RJ came up with his costume.'

'Oh, that would be Dell and Carey,' Esposito shook his head. 'They discovered the joys of the game 'Plants versus Zombies' at school on their free computer time so they decided to do a group costume for all the little ones. All the boys are zombies and all the girls are flowers and plants.'

'Oh man,' Shane laughed. 'And to think our little ones will join that fray in a few years time.'

'Little one?' Now both Castle and Esposito gave him the eagle eye. 'Something you want to share?'

'No, no.' Alexis forced the laugh to stay inside. The look on their faces was too preciously hilarious to be ruined. 'Just saying when the time is right, our little ones will be part of the grand tradition.'

'Okay, good. I mean I know it's Hallowe'en Lex, but don't scare me like that.'

'Okay. Anyways, brace yourself, looks like the trick or treaters are back.'

Castle looked over to where the door had been opened and all the little petaled and undead heads came charging in, cloth bags of chocolate, chips and other tooth-rotting sweet-treats overflowing. He watched as RJ, the snorkel-zombie, held onto Trini the marigold's hand as they looked around for their parents.

'Daddy! Look, we a team!' RJ all but dragged Trini over with their goodies-sacks stuffed to busting. 'I have some punsh, puh-lease? Tah-rini too?'

'Po' fa-vo', Daddy?' Trini added, batting her eyes at him.

'Just a little one, I don't want you up all night with a sugar high,' Esposito told her, then smiled warmly when Meredeth, almost as pregnant as Beckett, toddled over. 'Babe, you feeling okay?'

'Thirsty, but that's nothing new. Harvey said the hormones will make me feel that for awhile, especially when I'm breastfeeding Max Power here.' Meredeth rubbed her belly and for whatever reason, the move made Castle breathe a little bit easier at the sight of his friends rejoicing and anticipating the arrival of another baby. It seemed to be a common theme tonight.

The relief he felt at his extended family being a-okay was short-lived when he saw Montgomery come in, not wearing his party face in the slightest. Castle suddenly felt embarrassed at his elbow-length lab gloves and hammer t-shirt as he addressed his wife's boss.

'Captain, happy Hallowe'en.'

'I wish I could say the same. Where is your...where's Kate?'

'I think she might have hit the head,' Esposito supplied, catching Ryan's glance out of the corner of his eye; he'd never been more thankful for a partner who understood him like the Irishman when he picked his way through the crowd to get to them. 'What's going on?'

'She told me she's brought you two in on her mother's case, that right?'

'Yeah.'

'I'm in there too,' Castle said defensively. 'She's my Kate.'

'We know, bro,' Esposito murmured softly, putting a hand on the larger man's shoulder. 'Let's just wait a moment, okay?'

'Captain, what a nice surprise!'

Beckett, refreshed from a trip to the ladies room, came over to him all smiles; they died when Montgomery turned mournful eyes to her, and all at once she was all cop. 'What is it?'

'Castle, can we use your office?'

'Sure.'

The group filtered in, Ryan closing the door partially behind him so as not to try any more suspicion than necessary. When all eyes focused on the captain, he sighed and dragged a wide hand over his face.

'Officer Adam Brennan was the victim of a home invasion tonight. He killed the intruder and is currently fighting for his life in the ICU at Midtown.'

Beckett let out an unsteady breath. She didn't need Montgomery to say anymore; she could see the green dots just waiting for her to connect them. 'Someone got wind he was helping me on my mother's case and then bashed his head in?'

'Not the head, the kneecaps and the body. He was worked over with his own home-security Louisville Slugger-'

'So that means it had to be someone he knew,' Esposito concluded.

'Or that the intruder found it first.'

'What if Cruz sent someone after him?' Beckett theorized, thought it sounded outlandish even to her once the words left her lips. 'No, that's silly. Cruz was his best friend, they grew up together, what reason would she have to go after him. Unless...unless Cruz wasn't want by IA only for her connection to those homicides.'

'No.' Montgomery shook his head. 'IA cleared her of all charges after Brennan went down for the involuntary manslaughter beef with Madsen. Forget about Cruz, she's just a problem child for her own CO. This is about Brennan and what he left for you.'

'Left for me?'

'Yep, said this-' Montgomery drew a small jeweler's box from his inside coat pocket and passed it to Beckett '-should go to you.'

'Okay.'

'This guy's giving you jewelery?' Castle tried for levity to lighten the mood a bit. 'Should I be the one wishing I'd kneecapped him?'

'See what it is, Beckett,' Ryan gently prodded her.

She nodded, and flanked by her men, she lifted the lid. Inside were two keys, a flash drive and a folded piece of paper, the latter of which was stiff and new, like it had been taken from a fresh stack of twenty-pound. Clearing her throat, she read it aloud.

'For the Queen of the Castle, both of uss know that defeating devils like the Cyclops takes t-i-m-e.'

'Oh he's clever,' Castle breathed. 'Roy, if that boy makes it out of the hospital without having his brains turned to scrambled eggs, put him in counter-intelligence.'

'What are you talking about, Castle?' Esposito asked impatiently, 'it's just gibberish.'

'No it's not.' Beckett shook her head, picked up the flash drive. 'It's a riddle to solve what he went after today.'


	46. The Sleuthing

When the party had died down and it was only the Espositos and the Ryans left in the loft, the children all snuggled up in RJ's room, the adults sat in the living room trying to figure out what Brennan was being so secretive about. They'd changed from their costumes into their comfies so when they crowded around the living room coffee table, it had a far more serious tone.

'I don't like this. Brennan seems like he's a steady guy and all of a sudden he pops up with this nonsense?' Ryan asked warily. 'It spells fishy to me.'

'You've never read _A Study in Scarlet_, have you?' Castle commented as he booted up his computer.

'No, but I love Kate like my sister and the last thing I want to see is her hurting once more over her mother's case.'

'I think we all agree on that,' Esposito jumped in; he knew his partner would go to the mattresses for Beckett since she was pregnant, even if it was against her husband. 'Castle, let's fire it up.'

The writer nodded and he shoved the flashdrive into his laptop, pulled up the device window. It showed the drive's contents - two files, one a text file labeled 'J-K notes' and the other was an episode of the popular non-fiction show _Mystery Quest_ labeled 'The Devil's Triangle.'

'I remember that from when we were at his place to question him,' Esposito recalled. 'I saw his DVD shelf, and he has every single episode of that show, kinda like me with _Shark Week_. It makes sense.'

'Okay this text file says we should be looking at the post-credits section starting at fifteen minutes and twenty-six seconds,' Castle said, reading the text file.

He opened the video, adjusted the sliding time-counter to the appropriate spot and they watched the clip which talked about mysterious ship disappearances, the most famous of which was the _USS Cyclops_, which disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle in March of nineteen-eighteen with three hundred and nineteen sailors.

'Pause that,' Beckett ordered, her wheels working overtime.

'You smell something, Kate?' Esposito murmured.

'Maybe, maybe.' She picked up the note, thought of what Brennan had said when she'd visited him the day before. 'Adam got an idea after he made a comment about information not fitting into Raglan's neat little box. What if these are clues to find a safety deposit box?'

'Okay, so then why the references to the Bermuda Triangle and queens of the castle?' Ryan asked, starting to put it together himself even though he still wanted to keep Brennan at arm's length.

Everyone stayed quiet a moment, until Castle let out a loud and triumphant, 'Oh!'

'Rick, shh, you're gonna wake the kids,' Beckett hissed at him playfully. 'What are you oh-ing about?'

'It's a map,' he deduced. 'He's telling us how to find the little box, which would be-'

'A safety deposit box,' she finished, as more of those pieces fell into place. 'That makes sense.'

'Like when we had Angela Doran's case and she kept Timo's bank box,' Esposito reasoned, wheels clicking away. 'So how the hell are we going to have access to a bank box, because that is what more than likely caused Adam to get his brain's bashed in.'

'I think I know.'

Everyone looked at Ryan, who had stayed fairly quiet during the discussion. 'What if we get Montgomery to take him a book mug shots and we slip a little list into the book of our findings, get him to verify it?'

'That could work,' Castle agreed, looked around at the others. 'No one is going to think twice about a cop going to a victim's bedside to try and talk to him about the case. What if we can actually get his permission to open the box at the bank? Or maybe get enough from him to get a warrant from Markaway or Fuqua to open the bank box.'

'It also might work, but all this is predicated on the hard fact that we're going in the right way now.'

'Also a good point Detective Ryan. So let's get our Robert Langdon on and figure it out.'

Beckett nodded, smiled when Castle squeezed her hand in loving support. He was going to be getting so very lucky later, he had no idea, she mused as they looked at the hand-written note with more intensity.

'Okay, Queen of the Castle. Grammatically speaking, queen only needs a capital when it precedes a name like Queen Anne chairs,' Castle pointed out, 'so that's probably our location. Queens.'

'Sounds reasonable. What about the whole _USS Cyclops_ thing,' Esposito added, 'was that just a red herring to keep us going in circles?'

'No, I don't think so.' Ryan shook his head. 'In mythology, the cyclops were ugly giants with a single eye in the middle of the forehead. So what would be a modern ugly giant with a single eye in Queens?'

'Well if we're thinking safety deposit box, that's in a bank, which makes the allusion to ugly giant.' Beckett wracked her brains, shufflign through mental pictures. 'Esposito?'

'Yeah.'

'How did you drive to the Mets' stadium when you and Meredeth used Constance's baseball tickets?'

'Up and over the bridge past Banker's Block in Rockaway.'

'The New York head office of The Investor's Group is in the block isn't it?'

'Yeah it is.' Esposito closed his eyes as the image of the building came to the forefront of his mind. 'And that building has a huge blue letter-I on the top.'

'Okay, so we've got our bank,' Castle said. 'What about an account or a deposit box number?'

They frowned in thought until Ryan snapped his fingers. 'Rick, play back that clip from the show.'

He did so and they listened to the information one more time. 'There, you hear that? Three-hundred and nineteen sailors lost,' Ryan said bluntly. 'What if the number of sailors is the box number? Three-hundred and nineteen?'

'So then the t-i-m-e?' Beckett inquired. 'That would be the account number?'

'Wait, wait.' Castle pulled up his Internet browser, found the bank's home page. 'Most banks online use the account information for the login and a personally chosen password. Quick, what are the alpha-numeric translation of t-i-m-e?'

A few scribbles and counting of fingers later, Esposito read off the number. 'Try this. Two-zero-nine-one-three-five.'

'And the password?' he asked.

The password took a few more minutes to try, and on the third try out of a permitted five, they used the name of the disappearing ship to get into the account. It wasn't Brennan's account as they figured, but neither was it Jarrad Brennan's either - it was in the name of Eleanor Brennan.

'His mother's account,' Beckett breathed and felt a little hitch in her chest. 'Makes perfect sense.'

'Okay but this won't show us the contents of the safety deposit box, only its number,' Castle pointed to the screen. 'And we were right, it seems. Three-nineteen is the box number.'

'I still think we need to talk to Adam again in person,' Ryan said. 'Make sure that we are going in the right direction.'

'Agreed,' the others chorused, with Beckett adding for good measure, 'We need to figure out if it was just coincidence or if it was someone who had him tailed and sicked the dogs on him.'

'I've told you how many times, coincidences don't exist,' Castle said with playful exasperation, 'but I see your point.'

'For now, there's nothing more to do tonight, so were are going to put it away for tonight, go home and sleep, then we're going to meet here at seven am tomorrow morning before we go on-shift,' Beckett instructed them. 'We keep this tight, to ourselves, until it's absolutely necessary to discuss it further.'

Castle nodded, then because he knew the precautions necessary to take, deleted all traces off his computer and for good measure shut it down entire rather than putting it into its usually overnight stasis. Ushering the others to the door after they'd collected their sleepy little ones, he bid them all goodnight and Happy Hallowe'en.

Once the door was shut and locked behind them, he turned around to face his wife. 'So looks like we're going to-'

It was as far as he got before he found himself pinned against the front door with her mouth on his, savaging it with a little whimper in her throat.

'I love you so much Rick.'

'I love you too Kate.'

'No, I mean, I love you always, but for this? What you did tonight for me and my mother? My father? My whole damn family? There's no other way for me to say it but to tell you how much...how much...'

'It's okay, my love,' he murmured as her shoulders began to shake while she wept quietly. Then as quickly as her tears appeared, they were gone and there was a rather familiar glint in her eye. 'I know that look.'

'You do?' she asked him as she pulled him by the hand towards the stairs.

'Yep, that looks means in about five minutes, I'll be missing my pants.'


	47. The Montgomery Admission

The morning after Hallowe'en, Beckett awoke with a groan. She hadn't had enough sleep and the baby was making her pay for it. She remembered from being pregnant with RJ that the unborn didn't like their incubator's beauty sleep interrupted, no matter how good the reason.

'It's okay, baby,' she murmured as she showered and dressed to go on duty. 'We'll take it easy today, I promise.'

'Kate?' In bed, Castle lifted his head from the pillow. 'You ready for the day, sweetie?'

'Yeah, and before you ask I used the hair dryer so I won't catch a cold.'

'Good. You're going in early today,' he observed, sitting up.

'Yeah, I want to be able to visit Adam on our little covert mission.'

'What happens if you're wrong?' Worry from the previous night's discovery seeping into his eyes. 'If you are wrong on this, if going after this lead fizzles out are you going to be able to handle it?'

'Yes. But I am not the same woman from when Dick Coonan crossed my path. A lot of changes have happened in my life. I know that I won't be truly satisfied until I see whoever hired him paying for it but I know that there is nothing to be gained for my mother if I dwell on chasing down a logical, solid lead that doesn't pan out.'

'Well, then. Guess that's telling me.'

'Rick-'

'It's one of the many reasons I love you.'

'I love you too.'

'Mumum?'

RJ's voice came through the door, so Beckett opened it to her son and grinned. 'Morning, my little prince,' she greeted him as he hugged her around the knees.

'Bumpy so big now, Mumum. You 'till see me?'

'Of course I can still see you. My toes, though, that's a different story.'

'I sheck.' RJ made a little spectacle of crouching down and poking at Beckett's feet. 'Uh-huh, you' toes 'till there.'

'You're up early, even for you,' Castle said as RJ climbed up to the end of the king-sized bed.

'Dell say he name Mally. I gedda help too?'

'Of course,' Beckett reassured him. 'What name were you thinking of?'

'Wha' 'bout She-wee?'

'Sherri?' Castle loathed the name as it reminded him of that severely annoying Frank Valli song, but he wouldn't shoot down his son's choice. 'What made you think of that?'

'It Shane mumum name.'

'That's a good one. What else?'

'Hmm. Maybe...maybe Mumum mumum name. Sho-ana?'

'Johanna?' A little arrow landed right in the middle of Beckett heart and before she could help herself, a couple of tears slipped out.

RJ saw them before his mother could wipe them away; panic was a living thing inside his chest. 'Mumum, you sad or you haffin mor-mones?'

'It's the hormones,' Beckett said on a giggle, glad as always for her son's unique ability to distract her.

RJ frowned a moment, then leaned over and kissed Beckett's swollen belly that was visibly nudging around. 'Wha's you' name, bumpy? You' name Sho-ana? Or you Alessander? Oh, be nice, no kickin' big buh-ro.'

'RJ?'

'Yes Mumum?'

'You just gave me the best moment of the day so far,' she told him honestly. She knew the image of her son talking to his unborn sibling would stay with her, remind her why she was playing things out this way. 'Now give me and Daddy a kiss. I love you and I'll see you tonight when I'm home from work, okay?'

'Be cay-ful wit' my bumpy.'

* * *

><p>When Beckett arrived at the precinct, she went straight to the captain's office. There was another reason she wasn't so restful when she woke that morning and she knew she was loathe to make this walk to Montgomery's dominion but something deep inside was telling her that it had to be done before she set out to confront Brennan in his recovery bed.<p>

'Sir?' She knocked on the door frame while he was typing on his computer, glasses perched on the end of his nose. 'May I come in?'

'Of course.'

Beckett nodded then closed the door behind her, making Montgomery frown. 'This must be serious, Kate.'

'I think you aren't being entirely truthful to me sir,' she blurted out. 'I think you know more about Brennan Senior than you're letting on, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why.'

'Kate-'

'Please sir, tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I'm not just imagining it.'

Montgomery leaned back, dragged off his reading glasses; the move had Beckett's heart going to ice. 'Kate. It's not what you think. I'm not a dirty cop. I'm...There are things I've had to keep to myself but not for the reasons you think.'

'Why's that?'

'Because I was on scene that night.'

'Excuse me?'

'I was on scene that night, and I knew what Raglan was trying to do. Why I didn't know but I could tell from the way he was running the show. And...I saw Jarrad Brennan tuck something into his pocket, but until now I had no idea what it was, nor could I have anticipated that you'd cross paths with Brennan Junior in this way.'

'Why, sir?' Beckett wanted to scream at him, to rant but nothing except his words were getting through the thick wall of shock. 'Why didn't you say anything?'

Montgomery said nothing, just pulled open his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a small lockbox. He unlocked it, pulled out an envelope. 'That's why.'

Beckett took the envelope, shook out its contents. It was an array of very colourful photographs: some were old and grainy, of a young Roy Montgomery in uniform on the scene of Johanna Beckett's murder, others of a woman Beckett recognized as Liz Montgomery with a young boy's hand in hers as they walked on the streets of New York, more recent , the others of Jarrad Brennan dead in his apartment, hanging by a bedsheet rope from his shower. A typed note that read 'you want to be next?' landed poetically in the middle of the spread.

'Jesus,' was all she could say.

'I couldn't risk my family Kate,' Montgomery told her. 'These people, whoever they are that wanted your mother gone, who probably had Raglan in their pockets, have a long memory. Everyone has their price for silence, and Liz and Patrick are mine.'

She thought of Castle and RJ, the sleepy family morning they'd had together just hours before. 'I understand that sir, quite well.'

'I don't want to see you hurt anymore. You think it was just Castle and those two boys out there who hurt for you when we all watched you try to give Coonan CPR eight years ago?'

'No, sir,' Beckett murmured. 'No, I knew...or I thought I knew how much it hurt you too, but I guess I didn't.'

'Beckett, you know as well as I what a mercenary on a mission is capable of,' Montgomery told her. 'How much further are you will to go to get at the truth?'

'Gosh, sir, you sound like a movie trailer for Jason Bourne,' she quipped glibly and the one-liner had them both laughing a little at its absurd truth. 'I'm sorry, sir, I don't know where that came from.'

'Don't worry about it, Kate. But the question stands. What are you willing to do to solve your mother's case?'

'Whatever it takes,' she replied quietly, confidently, then added, 'but I'm smarter now, I've seen more, I know what to do. I'm not chasing this down with a little girl's hope anymore. Ask the boys, ask my husband, even my father. I...I know there's a possibility this case will never be solved.'

Beckett felt her throat close up, and she put her fingertips to her temple. 'Admitting that feels like defeat, like I've let her down, but I know that's ridiculous. She always told that if I pursue justice, I'll never be a failure, but...I never thought I'd have to be worrying about that on her murder.'

'I also thought I'd never have a second chance with Liz,' Montgomery told her, and earned a curious look Beckett.

'I don't know if I've ever heard that story.'

'I was in my second year on the beat, and Liz was waitressing at this little cafe to put herself through college. My partner and I were chasing this robber down the block and she was in the middle of serving a couple the soup of the day on the sidewalk patio.' Montgomery let himself get lost in his memory. 'Robber plowed through the crowd, my partner was ahead of me and I bowled Liz over, ruined her clothes with spilled food and put her in the hospital with a small contusion on her head. I went to the hospital to make sure she wasn't concussed, she told me to drop dead and I was a goner.'

'That's sweet, sir.'

'Beckett, I want to ask a favour,' he said in the most serious tone she'd ever heard him use. 'Let me come with you when you go to question Adam Brennan.'


	48. The Lead Followed

_Hello everyone! It's Monday night! AND WE ARE OFFICIALLY INTO SEASON FOUR PEOPLE! Sorry I'll get it together. Okay, this ch I wrote before and after watching the episode but the ideas for it came BEFORE the episode. Read it, watch the epi and tell me if it isn't just a little bit creepy! If you are on the West Coast, BRACE YOURSELF!_

* * *

><p>'Poppy Shim?'<p>

'Yes, RJ.'

'Where Miss A'nes to-day?'

Jim laughed as he ripped open the tape of a box of newborn Pampers, put them into a plastic bin labeled 'nappies'. 'Agnes is spending the day with Nessa at her house, they are making some cupcakes for Daniel's birthday.'

'Why you no' helpin'em?' RJ inquired as he did his brotherly duty and matched up socks for the baby.

'Because I'm here helping you and your Daddy.'

'Where Daddy now?'

'He is downstairs ordering our lunch. We're having sandwiches.'

'Tah-rini like san'iches. She 'pishally like quesadillas.'

'I like those too,' Jim told his grandson, filling the diaper bin with fresh ones, then looked up as he saw Castle came in the room with more boxes and bags of baby supplies.

'Food will be here in about twenty minutes. Jim, they didn't have the barbecue pork on the menu today but they had the mesquite smoked turkey, that cool?'

'Sounds good, my boy.'

Castle grinned; it had taken Jim Beckett a while to be so accepting of him. To hear those casual words of endearment from him were a personal badge of honour for the writer. He set down the bags, then picked them right back up when RJ let out a squeal like a steaming teakettle.

'Daddy! Wash-it!'

'What?'

'You gonna suh-kish bumpy's socks!'

'Oh, God, RJ.' Castle shook his head. 'I thought I'd crushed Omeo.'

'Nuh-uh, Omeo ov-ah there.' RJ pointed to his bunny in the overstuffed armchair that matched the one in his room. 'He washin' us, make shoo we geddit righ'.'

'I don't think we have to worry about that.'

'Whassat?'

'Toys for bumpy.'

'Bumpy too little.'

'These are more like Omeo, for cuddling,' Castle explained, and RJ nodded seriously.

'Ev-ee-one nee' an' Omeo.'

He laughed, pulled out the apple-shaped pillow and put it in the crib with the green and white checked sheets, then added the stuffed ant Flik from the Disney Store. 'What do you think, RJ, will bumpy like this one?'

'He coo', Daddy. Whassa name?'

'This is Flik, remember from A Bug's Life?'

'Oh yeah! Hi Fuh-lik, you gotta wash ou' fo' my bumpy.'

Castle laughed again, then picked up the houseline, thinking nothing of it when the houseline rang with Beckett's cell number on the display. 'Castle's castle.'

'Rick it's Roy.'

'Roy, what's up, why are you on Beckett's cellphone?'

'We've just come from talking to Brennan and we're on our way to the bank in Queens. You guys called it right, and I'm asking you to come with us.'

'Why are you on her cellphone?'

'She's, ah...napping.'

'She's napping?' Castle repeated incredulously.

'And drooling a little bit on my fine leather interior, I might add.' Montgomery looked over where the pregnant woman's chest rose and fell in the rhythm of sleep. 'That's not code, Richard. She's just tuckered.'

'Should I meet you up there or are you coming here?'

'Can you catch the subway up to Penn Station, we'll meet on the west side of the Garden by Thirty-Second.'

'On my way.'

Castle hung up, turned to Jim and RJ. 'Guys, I gotta run, Kate needs my help with a case.'

'Mumum cashin' baddies?' RJ asked, poking through the bags and looking at the other treats for his bumpy.

'Castle, is everything okay?' Jim added cautiously.

'It's a potential lead on Johanna's case,' Castle confessed without hesitation. 'It's...there's a possibility we have a good lead, a solid lead this time.'

'Okay. Just don't let her get swamped.'

'Jim, she's been working on this for the last three weeks, have you seen the signs of her getting swamped?' When Jim shook his head, Castle nodded. 'She's grown, she still wants this guy's blood but she knows there are things she's got now that she can't afford to lose. And I will be there with her every step of the way.'

'I know you will, son.'

Jim watched Castle take off, then looked back at RJ, who had gotten up to pick up Omeo and hug him close. 'Something on your mind, RJ?'

'Daddy say 'Sho-ana'. That Mumum mumum. She an an-shel.'

'That's right, she's an angel.'

'Ah-cause bad guys hur' her an' Mumum gonna cash 'em.'

* * *

><p>'Sir, you can bill me for the detailing on your car.'<p>

'Relax, Beckett. When I first got this car, Liz was pregnant with Patrick and she thought her water was breaking but she just had an overfull bladder. She was sitting in the backseat,' Montgomery added with a chuckle as Beckett look at her passenger side with a bit of mortified disgust. He manoeuvred the car so it was in the taxi slots and a few seconds later Castle popped into the backseat.

'So we were right?' he asked without hesitation.

'Where's our son?' Beckett demanded with far more snap than she meant in her voice.

'At home with his grandfather working on a little something for you and the bump.'

'Oh okay. And yes, we were right about the riddle. Brennan confirmed everything, and he told us he thinks there was someone at the bank who might be on the take because he said the only place he went out of the house after I talked to him was the bank in Queens.'

'Why Queens?'

'His father figured that going someplace out of Manhattan was safer. Fewer places for spies to hide, were Brennan's words.'

'How is he?'

'Shaky, but he'll make it.'

The ride out was restricted to the banalities of everyday life - weather, the reasons why the Mets actually beat the Yankees in the World Series that year, getting ready for the baby - until they came to Banker's Block in the heart of Queens. As Brennan's clue had predicted, there was a tall building with a single electric-blue letter-I on the top.

Montgomery found a parking lot a block and a half down the street, put his car in park. 'You guys are sure about this?'

'Yes. If we don't go after this, I will spend the rest of my life going 'what if' and my mother wouldn't want that,' Beckett said, staring at the building's revolving doors in her passenger side mirror.

'Let me go into the bank,' Castle insisted. 'I'm not a cop, I'm just a concerned family friend wanting to take care of some potential end-of-life business for my buddy Adam.'

It washed well, and Castle being who he was Beckett knew he was more observant than most laypeople. She nodded, then handed him her black file bag. 'Take this. No one is going to question you if you have a bag with you but they will get suspicious if you come out with files or other things in hand.'

'Done.'

He left the car, then on an inspiration, pulled out his cellphone and dialed Shane.

'Hey Rick what's up?'

'I'm going into a bank and I need a live conversation to distract me from potential killers.'

'Okay.' Shane sounded more than a little confused for which Castle didn't blame him. 'I can tell you that Alexis and I decided on a cake for the wedding.'

'Outstanding, yes, that's exactly what I want to hear right now.'

'We're going with a vanilla sponge cake, raspberry compote filling and white chocolate ganache. And we'll have little cupcakes for all the under-ten crowd.'

'No ideas yet for colour palette?'

'We've got it narrowed down to a spectrum of pink or tangerine.'

'Oh man, you really are in love aren't you?'

'Both were my ideas,' Shane laughed, 'how's that feel, Dad?'

Castle took a deep breath, watched the cameras tracking him discreetly as he approached the counter. 'I gotta go, man, I'll talk to you soon. Hi there,' he greeted the cashier at the counter. 'I'm a friend of Adam Brennan's and he's in the hospital, he has authorized me to look into his accounts here.'

'Oh, of course. I knew his mother Sheila. Lovely lady, so sad when she died so suddenly.'

'Exactly, and he's not doing so well himself right now.'

'Unfortunately, I can't give you anything like that without authorization from Adam himself or another legal authority.'

'I thought you might say that.' Castle knew the other reason Beckett had given him her file bag, and he reached in, pulled out a file folder with a sheet of paper. It had been fast-tracked, he'd learned, but it was legitimate. 'This is from Brennan's attorney stating I have his permission to go into his bank records and his safety deposit boxes.'

'Of course sir,' the cashier said after a quick scan of the document. 'And would you be interested in seeing Mister Brennan's deposit box today?'

Castle held up his hand, jingled the keys. 'You betcha. Lead the way.'


	49. The Cautious Hope

Upon returning to the loft, Castle's first thought was to order food. He knew with the gang he'd texted on the return trip that there would be a small army demanding answers when they got back to Manhattan. In the living room, Agnes, Jim, Martha and to his surprise Shane all sat, snifters of brandy and glasses of juice in their hands. When Jim saw Castle come in with Beckett, leading her like a trauma victim to the kitchen table, he was on his feet in a heartbeat.

'Kate,' Jim said in a shaky voice. 'RJ's down for a nap, and there's been a flurry of calls for you here, asking if you were home yet.'

'We're here now. Who called?' Beckett asked in a numbed voice.

'Detectives Ryan and Esposito, and then Meredeth and Lanie and someone named Lili as well. I could hardly understand her.'

'That would be Espo's sister,' Beckett said in the same stunned voice.

'Kate, what's going on?' Shane demanded, coming over. He knew she needed forcefulness, directness, as he had when Alexis had been hospitalized the previous November. 'We can't help you if we don't know what's going on.'

But before she could answer, the small army Castle knew would descend upon them descended on them then: Esposito with his dark eyes burning, Ryan's blue ones cold as northern ice. Behind them Meredeth and Lili came in with their own jaws set and went right to the kitchen with their bags of supplies.

'What's all this?' Castle asked, looking at them.

'We're family,' Esposito said.

'You called, we came,' Ryan added, dragging over a chair and clasping Beckett's hand, not at all surprised when she didn't shake him off. 'What the fuck happened in Queens?'

'My file bag.'

Castle reached to the floor where the black bag was propped against the island. 'Here.'

Beckett took it and reached in, pulled out several thick envelopes, each one labeled neatly, and there, in a regular, ordinary Siploc bag with duct-tape over the ziploc itself, was her mother's cellphone.

'Jesus fuck me sideways,' Esposito exclaimed. 'Where the hell did you get this?'

'From Sheila Brennan's safety deposit box. We were right, Jarrad and Adam used their loved one's deposit box to keep the important things safe.'

'We also figured out that the only way you could watch someone in that bank without being caught staring is in the security bureau, so we are going to give an annonymous tip to the guys investigating Adam's assault to ask about those tapes,' Castle added, his eyes never leaving the things he'd put into the file bag at the bank, when his heart had nearly pounded clean through his chest.

'How...how did Brennan do all of this?'

'He had nearly twenty years to acquire it. It's all labeled, we just have to dig.'

'Her phone,' Beckett murmured, fingering the device through the plastic. It looked almost the same as it had the last time she'd seen it, like a little time capsule. 'The battery's probably toasted by now.'

'There's ways around that,' Castle reassured her.

'Here, Beckett, drink this.' Meredeth elbowed her way past the cops and thrust a glass of juice in her hand. 'You need the sugars.'

Beckett guzzled it without thinking twice, passed the glass back as her eyes tracked over the cellphone. There it was, the little Samsung that had been top of the line when her mother bought it, and the bedazzled casing Beckett had given her mother to jazz it up. _Look at you miss Hollywood_, was what she'd said; the thought made her eyes sting and she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth.

'It's okay, Kate,' Castle murmured, bending down to kiss her. 'It's okay.'

'God, it's like...I can't...I can't breathe. Daddy?'

'I'm here Katie-Lou.' Like Meredeth, Jim elbowed his way in and wrapped his arms around his daughter. No one said a word as Beckett began to weep, which turned to harsh sobs as her grief renewed itself with this discovery. 'I'm here and so is your mother, she needs you now.'

'Yes. Richard.'

Now it was Castle's turn to hold her and he stroked her hair with his broad hand, gave her a hard kiss before looking her dead in the eye. 'You say the word and we put it aside for tonight.'

'No. No, I want to see what there is first, what else we've got.'

'Then let's get some food going and find out.'

'You're getting black bean and chicken enchildadas,' Meredeth informed them, and for a moment Beckett only stared at her friend. 'Beans are good brain food.'

'That they are,' Esposito agreed, mouthing _love you so fucking much Mere_ to her before his fellow cop turned back to the table. 'So where do we start?'

'Let's look at the envelopes themselves, see how Brennan labeled them and we'll be able to figure out what to do,' Ryan suggested and Beckett nodded her agreement.

There was four in total, thick and heavy. One was labeled 'Diary', another 'Crime Scene Notes', a third 'Suspects', and a fourth 'Misc', so they decided to start with the Diary one, which proved to be as it said it was, Jarrad's personal journal of everything he had tracked, observed, thought and felt since he'd picked up the Johanna Beckett case.

The diary was all on loose-leaf lined paper, thankfully done in ink dated; some pages even had times on them. The three cops plus Castle took the sheets while the others ran the errands, brought them whatever they asked for; Shane even put on the coffee and tea for them as they worked their way through the information that Jarrad and then Adam Brennan had collected.

By the time she'd gone through nearly twenty-five days, Beckett sighed in discomfort and rubbed her belly. The baby was still highly irritated with her, so she stood up, leaving her notes on the table.

'I need to go lie down,' she informed the group. 'Between finding this and the baby kicking me, I need a break.'

'Just as well,' Lili said from the kitchen. 'Enchiladas are ready. We'll save you a couple of them, sweetie.'

'Thanks.'

No one said anything when she climbed the stairs, and Castle followed her up. Beckett opened the bedroom door and stretched out on her side of the comfy bed, rubbing her hand in circles over her belly as she began to weep again, though not as harshly as the last time. She felt the weight shift on the bed behind her, and when Castle's arm wrapped around her body, his palm between her breasts and her bump, she snuggled back against him.

'Richard, do you know what this means, now that we've found this cache?'

'I know some of it.'

'It means we can prove that Raglan was on the take, that Brennan was the cop who would have done the right job and that his son is still a cop. Montgomery told me while you were in the bank getting all those files that if this pans out and we can make an arrest that will stick, there's a chance that Adam might be reinstated on the force. He'll start out back at square one if that's the case but he'd still be back and everything his father did will not be in vain.'

'I'll tell you a secret, Kate.'

'What?'

'Nothing of what you and Kevin, and Javier and Roy are doing is in vain. Your mother would be more ashamed of you if you did nothing at all than if you failed on this.'

'I'm so tired Castle,' she cried, her voice cracking like glass.

'I know, honey.'

'I'm so tired of everything leading me nowhere to help her.'

'So let us help you,' Castle murmured, stroking back her hair as her shoulders shook. 'You aren't alone like you were before, Kate. You are part of a family. Those guys downstairs are the tip of the iceberg, you know? We will find something and when we do, it's going to open the floodgates.'

'Cops don't work that way Castle, when one of our own is accused. We close ranks.'

'I disagree. Now, if it were the FBI coming in to investigate, shoving you around, I'd agree. But you are looking at a cold case where a cop who was right all along from square one was wronged, and he passed that information to his son, a cop himself. You honestly can be here with me and tell me that you don't think everyone in the department is going to be on your side and help you hunt this murdering bastard down?'

'Not everyone. If word gets out, there's a good chance they'll call Montgomery a coward for thinking of his family over the job.'

'Then we won't let it come to that. Come here.'

Castle pulled at her body until she was rolled over and facing him. He brushed his thumbs over the smudges beneath her devastated sea-goddess eyes and kissed her lips gently. 'I love you, and win lose or draw on your mother's case, that will never ever change.'

'I love you too. Richard?'

'Yes.'

'If the baby's a girl, I want to name her Johanna.'


	50. The Birthday Dinner: 37 Weeks

The investigation was put on hold, as Beckett knew it would be. There was far too much to go through in a single day, and for security purposes they kept the documents in the wall-vault of Castle's office with not a single piece of data being entered into the computer. It was kept entirely old school but Beckett knew in the long run it would be entirely to their advantage to have done so.

On top of which, there was also the new cases that poured in every day and today, most importantly for Beckett and Castle, they had their birthing class refresher course with Andrea and Honey-Milk. It still both Castle and Beckett a little bit to get used to Andrea's pixie-esque haircut but it most definitely suited the redhead. She'd already had those large smoky eyes but now she looked like a Japanime cartoon with the auburn fringe falling at her brow.

'Castle,' Beckett murmured as they sat down in the comfy beanbag chairs of the classroom, 'I think we need to have sex after this class is done.'

'Again? Not that I'm complaining.'

'If I'm looking at Andrea and thinking she's hot, I need to do my husband pronto,' Beckett giggled.

'Can't blame you, Andrea is hot.'

'Nice, you pig.'

'Hello mood swings, can't say I missed you,' Castle teased her back, rubbing her belly. 'Will they be joining us for Shane's birthday dinner tonight?'

'Depends on if we get a little afternoon delight in or not.'

'Welcome back everyone,' Honey-Milk said at the front of the room, smiling at them all, and giving Beckett and Castle a little wink. 'Why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves, and then we'll get started.'

When introductions had been made, they began to go through all the familiar routines; Castle was amazed at how much Beckett had remembered from their first time around with RJ. He remembered how much pain she had been in in the final stages but that was the magic of women, he knew - they had an extraordinary ability in their bodies to forget and remember and forget again, and then remember again.

Holding her hand tightly, he watched as she listened intently, just as if the captain was giving a briefing, to Andrea and Honey-Milk's instructions. As they were in a class of second-, third- and even fourth-time parents, much of the focus was on handling young children through the potential chaos of the birthing room and the long waiting of labour.

'Some of you may wish to have your children, especially first-time siblings, in the room during the early stages of your progress. This of course will depend on two major things, the comfort level of your child being in the hospital and the doctor's level of comfort with a small child in the room,' Andrea explained, writing it on the chalkboard.

'Excuse me, Nurse Brick?' One mother raised her hand like they really were in school. 'When you say being in the room in the early stages of labour, what does early stages mean?'

'Every doctor is different and you'll have to discuss that with you physician, Julie. Are there any more questions? Don't be shy, speak up if you have any concerns because chances are someone else probably has the same one and is too shy to ask.'

'I have a question about guests,' Beckett asked, smiling with motherly love as she rubbed her belly, wrinkling her nose at the little wince she felt. 'I have a large extended family and it's rather difficult to shake them from leaving the hospital. Any tips on managing them?'

'Of course. The biggest thing is noise management, as women in the maternity wing need their rest, so as long as they are kept occupied and quiet I don't think the number of people should matter. Food helps,' Honey-Milk added, 'as people tend to be less noisy and disruptive when they eat and it helps to keep them focused on something other than watching the clock tick down.'

'Fair enough.'

'What about keeping the mother focused since all labours are different?' Castle inquired, letting some of his own daddy worries creep out; he'd been through being a birth partner twice but there was something about this time around, whether it was Beckett's comfort level being so high or the new lines they were working on her mother's case that made him edgier this time around.

'Excellent question,' Andrea replied. 'Music and audiobooks are good, it gives her something to mentally focus on and not let her get too far into her own fearful anticipation of the birth itself.'

There were other questions, but Beckett tuned them out, looking at her husband. 'You really think I want to see a movie while this one is coming out of my body?'

'I was just thinking of when I put on _The Little Mermaid _for you when you were having false alarms with RJ.'

'Oh. That's sweet.'

'You sound just like him when you do that, you know?'

Beckett laughed, then rubbed her belly as it gurgled. 'Man, I hope they wrap this up soon, I'm getting hungry.'

It was not to be as they heard Andrea and Honey-Milk say it was now time to practice breathing techniques and various discomfort relief positions, which both Castle and Beckett remembered took at least two hours. Fortunately, they still made it to Shane's birthday dinner on time though the restaurant was over near Shane and Alexis' apartment. Shane had chosen Bangkok Palace, a little Thai place that was the antithesis of Spice Island; despite how much they loved it, there was always the risk of the real-deal ingredients not agreeing with their North American digestion and the last thing Castle wanted for his baby-mama was her gushing like a fire hydrant from either end.

The air smell deliciously of cooking oil and sauteed seafood, an item which Beckett had lost her taste for entirely with this pregnancy, but she knew there would be red meat and lots of it. She grinned when she saw the cozy but spacious booth near the kitchen, where Alexis and Shane sat with RJ, engrossed in a fierce game of Hangman. Alexis glanced up, then did a double take when she saw her parents approaching.

'Hey guys! How was the baby class?'

'Good, but long. I need a snack,' Beckett declared as she sat down beside her son. 'Hey my little prince.'

'Hi-hi Mumum, I winnin'!'

'Okay, Charlie Sheen, pardon me for interrupting.'

'Here,' Shane nudged a basket of bake roti towards her. 'There's chili dip for it if you want.'

'Nope.' Beckett ripped off a hunk of the bread and crammed it in her mouth, relishing the chewy texture. 'Great jus' like this.'

Mumum, lit-tle bites, you gonna be sick,' RJ told her, rubbing his mother's bump. 'Hi-hi, bumpy, you learn lossa at suh-chool to-day?'

'RJ, it's a class for helping me to know what to do when the baby's actually born.'

'But bumpy gotta know whatta do too.'

'Babies are smart, RJ,' Castle informed his son as he flagged down the waiter. 'Don't worry, your bumpy will know what to do when it's time for his or her birthday.'

'Her bur-day, Daddy, I guessin' it a gil. My sisser Sho-ana.'

'And what if it's a little boy like you?' Alexis inquired, charmed by her brother's certainty. 'You have a name all lined up for that possibility too?'

'Uh-huh, if bumpy a boy, he name Alessander.'

'That's pretty close to mine.'

'Uh-huh, but you my Alessis. You jus' you.' RJ wrapped his arms around her body, pecked her cheek. 'You the bes'.'

'And here I was thinking that me, the birthday boy, would get all the attention,' Shane teased them, then looked at the package Castle passed him. 'What's this?'

'A new car,' Beckett deadpanned.

'Good job folding it up.' Shane ripped into the present and grinned at what he found. 'Hey, check this out, Lex!'

'What is it?' She craned her neck over to look at the gift, felt her jaw drop. 'Oh my god, Dad, where did you find that?'

'Nancy Cartwright was at one of my book signings and we had coffee when it was over, I said my future son-in-law was a big fan and would probably love her autograph for a birthday present. Three weeks later, my publisher mailed me that.'

Shane flipped through the signed copy of the _Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire_ script, the cover page of which had been signed by all the cast members. 'I feel like I've just been handed a piece of a UFO.'

'Why are you so addicted to that series?' Beckett asked, wondering why she'd never thought to ask it before.

'When I was a teenager in Israel, it was the only American show I was allowed to watch, and I thought it was amazing. My dream when I was about twelve was to be the voice of Milhouse. When I moved to the States, I was learning English by watching reruns and it made my homesickness for everything familiar be not as bad as it could have been.'

'That nice,' RJ said, then looked at his parents. 'Mumum?'

'Yes.'

'If bumpy a boy, we name'im Alessander Sim'son?'


	51. The Romantic Night

Castle wasn't at all surprised that when they got home from the birthday dinner for Shane that his wife was still in the mood for some loving. He knew she didn't just think of him as her own little sex-droid, as was evident from the way she made mention of the sparkling cider in the fridge as she took RJ upstairs to tuck him into bed.

He found two champagne flutes and the unopened bottle, took them upstairs to the bedroom. Turning to his stereo, he found the slowdown-mix he'd made off of the records Jim had lent him, Bill Withers and Solomon Burke mixed with Darren Hayes and Melanie Fiona creating the perfect mood for romance.

Music selected and throbbing gently through the speakers, he went to his bedside table and pulled out the votive candles in a safe-citrus scent, the one he knew Beckett found both relaxing and arousing. He was in the middle of turning down their sheets when Beckett came in to the room, belly huge and eyes focused on him and him alone.

'Hey you.'

'Hey.' Castle straightened up, looked at her as she went to the closet and pulled a little bag from her side of the shelf. 'What's that you got there?'

'You're not the only one who knows how to be romantic, Richard. Give me a few minutes, okay?'

'Okay.'

When she ducked into the ensuite, Beckett sat down on the closed toilet lid to undress. Bathrooms were deathtraps, moreso for the heavily pregnant like she was, as their balance wasn't the greatest. She tugged her sweater over her head, unfastened her bra and just let her hands roam over her breasts. They were humongous now, no question and wondered how the hell Andrea and Meredeth had lasted through their pregnancies, given how much naturally larger in the boobs they were before being pregnant.

No, this was not the thing to dwell on pre-loving, Beckett chided herself, and she stood up like she really was going to use the bathroom to work her way out of her jeans and panties, then dipped into the bag from Sizzling Stork. The peignoir she'd chosen was soft as rainwater in a rich midnight blue colour, the kind she felt more comfortable in so she was less self-conscious about all her baby weight. She ran a brush through her hair, even added a little bit of fresh lipstick and mascara, then opened the door.

The room smell wonderfully of the candles Castle had lit. On the bureau by the stereo waited two glasses of the sparkling cider they favoured in lieu of champagne since alcohol was bad for the baby, and there was the man - her man - himself in bed, already naked. He looked so damn pleased already Beckett wondered just what kinds of tricks they could get up to.

When he glanced over at her, his whole face seemed to light up from deep within. Shifting to his knees, Castle watched her approach him, still with that strong and sexy walk she had even when she was in the final month of her pregnancy.

'My God, Kate, you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my life. I love you.'

'I love you too Rich.'

Beckett reached the bed and knelt in the middle of it, leaned in to kiss him slow and deep, lips firm yet yielding against his. 'There is no one in the world who knows me like you do.'

'Kate,' he murmured, brushing his palm over her cheek. 'You overwhelm me.'

So tonight would be about the slow tenderness of it, she knew, as he shifted to kiss her and pull her as close as he could. His fingers combed through that silky length of her hair, his caresses lifting the scent of her shampoo to his nose. His lips roamed over her jawline, down the column of her throat and back to her mouth as one of his hands went to the strap of her peignoir.

'Mm, Rich,' Beckett sighed against his lips.

'Yes, Kate.'

'Can we...I kinda want to leave this on.'

Castle eased back only enough to look her in the eye. 'Kate, it's okay to be naked with me, I love your body whether your seven days or seven months pregnant.'

'I know, and it's not even that, it's...my boobs were really sore after the last time we made love, jiggling around unrestrained like that.'

'Oh, sweetie, of course. Of course, whatever you need, my love.'

'Besides,' Beckett added, turning herself so that she spooned against him and she hitched up the shorty-hem of her lingerie, 'I think you'll find I don't need the twins played with to get hot for you tonight.'

Castle groaned in deep anticipation as her smooth-skinned ass grazed against his front where he was already getting hard for her. His touch skimmed over her silk covered body down to her thigh and over it, going higher and higher then retreating and he heard her breath catch in her throat. 'Kate, turn to your back, if you can, sweetheart,' he told her softly, and she complied. Castle looked into those sea-goddess eyes just beginning to cloud with the first signs of pleasure as his hand stroked up and down the inside her her leg, each pass going a little closer and closer to the source of the heat that waited for him. Finally, when he saw her bite her lip in eagerness for him, he let his fingertips graze over her, where he felt the slick warmth and heard her erotic groan.

'Oh, yes, Rich,' she moaned deeply, 'yes, that's what I've wanted all day.'

'My horny little mama.'

Beckett managed a throaty laugh, then let out a squeak when the pad of his thumb brushed lightly over her trigger as the other fingers he touched her with stroked her, then sank inside her. Her eyes sank shut and she tried to arch her back as she was usually wont to do but the weight of the baby made that an impossibility tonight. Instead, she curled her toes and ground her heels into the mattress as she pulled his face close to hers so she could tell him with dirty little words how good he made her feel.

To hear her all but beg him for more in that sweet, breathy tone nearly made Castle lose his mind. While he loved to use his mouth on her to really make her scream, this was something he almost enjoyed more as he could watch her face and see the ripples and waves of pleasure go thundering over it.

'Oh, God, Rich!' Beckett could feel the orgasm build inside her, and as she moved close and closer to that beautiful exploding release, her heart pounding, she popped up on her elbows when her husband moved his hand from between her thighs and he was rolling her to her side. 'What are you doing? I'm so close, baby.'

'I know, so am I,' he told her quietly, his mouth by her ear as he eased into her from behind, making it slow so that she called out his name in that low, throaty moan.

'Rich...Rich, please...'

It was the only encouragement Castle ever needed - his wife saying his name like that as he loved her, as she loved him, as they loved each other, their shadow a single unit against the wall in the flickering candle light as they held tight to each other and leaped into oblivion.

Heart pounding and ears ringing, Castle propped his brow against her shoulder with his hand between her breasts. 'Oh, God, Kate, that was great.'

'Agreed,' she nodded. 'That was exactly what I was thinking about since we were in our birthing class. But not just the sex.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah. The candles, the lingerie, the soft music, the cider.' Beckett smacked her lips together a little bit. 'I could use that cider, I'm feeling a little thirsty.'

'Me too, but then a good workout will do that to you, right?'

'That's very true. Be right back.'

Castle kissed her shoulder and as an afterthought added the boxers he'd shed in case RJ wandered in as he was wont to do from time to time. He uncorked the faux-wine and poured two glasses, brought them to the bed where Beckett had adjusted herself so she was sitting propped up against the headboard with plenty of pillows behind her head and her back.

'Thanks, Rick. To love,' she said simply, tapping the edge of her glass to his and downing the whole thing while Castle barely took a mouthful.

'To love,' he agreed. 'Refill.'

'In a moment. I think we've got our baby names finalized.'

'Yeah?'

BEckett nodded, rubbing her belly where the baby was doing some spectacular high kicks. 'We already agreed that if we have a girl, her name is Johanna and if it's a boy it's Alexander. But what about middle names?'

'Easy. Johanna Louisa and Alexander Edgar.'

'Seriously?'

'Louisa as in Louisa May Alcott and Edgar for the master himself Edgar Allan Poe. What do you think baby, huh?' Castle shifted so his mouth was at the level of the bump and he grinned like a goofy, expectant daddy when the bump jiggled under his softly stroking hand. 'You think those are pretty rockin'? Well I'm glad you like them because it wasn't just Mumum and Daddy picking it out, your big brother had a hand in there too.'


	52. The Girls' Afternoon: 38 Weeks

'Okay, baby, just one more step.'

Beckett rubbed her belly as she got to the top stair of the Esposito townhouse and knocked on the door. It was officially her first full day on maternity leave and if she holed up in the loft, she would go insane. Thankfully, as it was also the second day of Chanukah and she and the family were going to spend the evening with Shane and Alexis, she'd gotten on the horn to her fellow preggo and her favourite chef after RJ.

She knocked on the door and gave Meredeth, who was just as swollen and pregnant as her, a sympathetic smile when she answered the door.

'Hey mama, you're looking big.'

'Right back at you.'

Arturo, who was looking more vigorous than he had on her last few visits, came trotting right over to inspect the new arrival. The giant dog gave her hand a friendly lick and wandered upstairs with such ease that Beckett arched an eyebrow. 'He get the doggie equivalent of the Keith Richards' blood transfusion or what?'

'The vet put him on steroids and glucosamine for his arthritis and his kidney infection, and he's a whole new puppy. Come on in. Robina and Lanie are here too.'

Beckett felt a little hitch; it wasn't that she'd been avoiding Lanie since the discovery in Brennan's apartment but her friend definitely knew she was keeping her at bay. When she saw the petite doctor in the kitchen chatting with Robina, she nearly broke down when Lanie came over and gave her a deep hug.

'It's okay, baby girl, I know,' she murmured, patting Beckett's back in supportive understanding. 'You want to talk about it?'

'No, I don't Lanie, not yet.'

'Okay. I'll be here when you are.'

Beckett put her palm to her friend's cheek, patted it lightly. 'I love you Lanie.'

'Love you too Katie.'

'Alright, before we get into some stuff that would make all our boys ocean in their Joe-Boxers,' Robina teased them, 'why don't we get you an apron and a cold drink, Kate?'

'Sounds about perfect.'

'Now can I say it?' Robina asked. 'I waited until she got here, Mere.'

Meredeth laughed as she poured iced tea for Beckett. 'Go ahead, Robina.'

'Say what?' Lanie asked, then looked Robina up and down. 'You got another Italian bun in the oven, girl?'

'No, no,' Robina laughed. 'Gil asked me to marry him!'

She waited for the excited gasps but was met with confused glances instead. 'What?'

'Well, sweetie, you guys are already married,' Meredeth pointed out, pointing to the ring on her agent's finger. 'We were all there.'

'No, no, I mean, he _really_ asked me to marry him. He said...he said after seeing Ryan and Jenny renew their vows, he could shake the idea that it was ridiculous for us to say vows without all the parts, so next October, on our anniversary, we're going to have a real wedding and we won't just be common-law. We are going to be really married.'

'Oh, honey!' Now came the delayed cheers from the other women, with Lanie leading the charge. 'That's amazing!'

'There it is!' Robina laughed.

'How did he ask you?'

'We were lying in bed together. We'd made love and we were in this lovely kind of afterglow and he got that look on his face just like he did before our first kiss, and he said will you marry me for real, Robina.'

Beckett sniffled even as she smiled. 'That's so sweet. Reminds me of how Rick proposed to me.'

'Reminds me of the night Javi said he loves me for the first time,' Meredeth added; waving her hands in front of her face to stave off tears. Snapping her fingers, she pointed at Lanie. 'Say something.'

'Dave gives himself pedicures,' she replied and all the girls had a giggle over it, making the tears dry up.

'Okay, that works. Now, we need to get those apple and peach fried turnovers going.' Meredeth pointed to the pot of oil she would use for cooking. 'I've already prepped some of the apples and I'm going to use canned peaches because they are easier all around to use. Beckett you are going to help me prep the dough for the peach turnovers and Lanie and Robina are going to finish the apples.'

'Sounds good to me. Where are the kids?' Beckett asked, staying in her spot at the island counter.

'The twins are having a play date with their cousins and Tessi went with Nessa to the hospital daycare to help her work on a card for RJ's birthday party this weekend.'

'Why didn't you guys do a party on the day of?' Robina inquired as she picked up a paring knife in one hand, an apple in the other.

'This weekend was when people were available, namely, Alexis is home for her Christmas break from school,' Beckett explained. 'RJ said we could have a nice family dinner but it wouldn't be a party without his Alessis.'

'Ah, yes, Kelley and TJ are the same way.'

'So are my two oldest,' Lanie added. 'Oh, man, did I tell you what my children got up to on the weekend?'

'Is it better than RJ and the chocolate sauce?'

'Finn decided to help Dave in the kitchen and smeared my nice white tile floor with raspberry jam.'

'That's not so bad,' Meredeth ventured, but Lanie shook her head.

'Carey and Violet, being so helpful and not wanting Dave to give Finn hell since he's so little, went to the bathroom to try and find something to tidy the mess up and Violet found my box of maxi-pads.'

'Oh no!' Beckett's eyes went round as she giggled. 'Oh, good God, to be a fly on that wall.'

'It wasn't a pretty scene, to say the least,' Lanie shook her head, then squinted at Beckett. 'Hey, can I ask you something, Kate?'

'Always.'

'Is Alexis going to convert when she marries Shane? I'm assuming since we're doing this for Chanukah tonight, she has a plan like that.'

'You would think, but no.'

'No?' Robina forced her jaw not to drop in surprise. 'Seriously?'

'Seriously. Shane has told her that he doesn't want her to convert for him. His rabbi is cool with marrying them even though she's a gentile, and they celebrate the holidays in equal measure. Plus, RJ loves explaining our Christmas traditions to him, even though he's about as old as Shane and Alexis' relationship.'

'Wow, they've been together three years?' Meredeth shook her head. 'That makes me feel so old.'

'And they've decided on a colour for the wedding,' she continued with motherly pride. 'They are going with palm frond green and tangerine.'

The women all made ooing noises as they finished preparing their fruit while Meredeth took care of the doughs they needed - puff pastry for the peach and butter-brushed phyllo for the apple - as Beckett filled them in on other details of the wedding she knew Alexis wouldn't mind her sharing.

'I can't believe we are going to throw a bachelorette party for Castle's little girl,' Lanie squealed in excitement. 'That is going to be so much fun.'

'And the best part is that Kate gets to join the fun without it being too weird,' Robina pointed out. 'Gil said that Ryan and Esposito told him that Castle might actually be sitting part of that send-off for Shane out.'

'Understandable, though,' Meredeth shrugged. 'No parent wants to hear about their first-born being violated in a fun way, even if it is by the the love of their life. Kinda makes me thankful I was an only child.'

'Yeah, well, brace yourself, Mere,' Beckett chuckled. 'The way your youngest daughter and my son are already pair-bonded, you and I will be having nightmares by the time they reach high school.'

'Oh, why you gotta be mean like that,' the writer responded with a fake pout, then gave the dough she was working a hearty slap. 'Besides, this is ready for apple filling.'

'Exactly, Kate, no being mean,' Lanie chided her, then winked. 'Besides, we already know it's Esposito you'll have to watch once Dell and Tessi start dating.'

'Mean, mean, mean. Just for that,' Meredeth dusted her hands off, 'no leftovers for you, Doctor.'

* * *

><p>'Hello, hello, I know I'm late!'<p>

Beckett breezed into the apartment, her tupperware of her fried pastries hot in her hands, and wasn't surprised to see her boys already dressed and waiting for her. 'RJ, can you watch this box, make sure Daddy doesn't eat any?' she asked her son, setting the tupperware on the island.

'O-course Mumum. Daddy, no nibbing. Those fo' desser' at Shane an' Alessis house.'

'That they are, and there are so many delicious things waiting there for us, I'm not going to ruin my appetite,' Castle promised him.

'I'm ready to go, I just needed to come home and do this.' Beckett crouched to give RJ a loud noisy kiss, then a softer, sweeter one for her husband. 'Now let's roll.'


	53. The Chanukah Dinner

'Hi-hi Shane! Me-wee Chanukah!'

'Merry Chanukah to you, RJ,' Shane replied as he answered the door to his future in-laws. He took the offered Tupperware from the little boy and gave Beckett a cautious look as they came in. 'You feeling okay, Detective? You're looking like you're gonna pop.'

'Doctor says this one isn't going to be here until after the holidays, Shane,' Beckett reassured him. 'My last check up, Harvey told me that I should be fine through the holidays, just be prepared.'

'Where my Alessis?' RJ demanded, looking around.

'She's just finishing getting dressed, she was late getting home this afternoon and she needed a nap before our family dinner.'

'Mumum say we eatin' lossa shun' food.'

'In a manner of speaking. We eat fried foods at Chanukah to honour the miracle of the oil,' Shane explained, unable to put into words what it meant to him that RJ was so keen in learning about his cultural traditions. 'Castle you want a beer?'

'Sure.'

'Hey guys!' Alexis emerged from the bedroom looking so relaxed and refreshed that Beckett with her hormones in overdrive had to wonder if the nap-story for RJ was just the PG cover for a three-year-old. 'Happy Chanukah, hope you're hungry, we're having the most disgusting display of fried food you've ever seen.'

'No' too mush, no' wan' bumpy geddin' sick,' RJ told her, glancing over at his mother's enormous belly. 'It almos' bur-day time.'

'That's right, but the baby won't be here until after Christmas. Here, Mom, come sit down.'

Alexis wrapped her arm around Beckett's waist and guided her over to the sofa, sat down beside her. She moved the rummoli board out of the way, and lifted Beckett's feet up so she could rest them. 'There, that feel better?'

'Much,' Beckett sighed, glancing over at Castle who was talking with Shane in the kitchen. 'Don't tell your dad, okay? He's been fretting and fussing over me long enough.'

'I understand. Shane mutters and mumbles like a mother hen if I so much as get the sniffles while I'm at school. But that's neither here nor there. You want to play some cards?'

'Sure, sounds great.'

'Mumum, Alessis, I puh-lay too?' RJ asked sweetly, using his charm on two of the most important ladies in his life. 'I good at cards.'

'I know, you get that from our daddy,' Alexis told him and picked up a deck to shuffle them. 'We'll play the dreidl game after dinner, but Shane thought we all might have a couple of rounds of rummoli while we wait for food.'

'Hey, sweets, are you starting the rummoli without me?' Shane inquired, looking over when he saw her going for the deck of cards.

'Maybe. You and Dad going to join us?'

'Well, can't let my title as Undisputed Rummoli Master of Princeton go undisputed.'

'My roommates and I were taking a break from the books with a rummoli night, and Shane joined in,' Alexis explained as they arranged themselves for the game, 'and he cleaned their clocks so hard they were almost crying.'

'Shane, you puh-lay nice wit' Alessis fuh-riends,' RJ admonished him, then looked with a little fear at the seemingly-complicated board. 'How I do it?'

Castle watched as he took a seat beside Beckett as Shane explained the rules of the game to the young boy - he was quite the little gamer already - then slid a glance at his wife. If there was someone more anxious about the birth of their baby than the mother herself, it was Castle. He knew the doctor had reassured them the baby wasn't arriving until after the holidays, and since nearly eighty percent of babies arrived on their due dates or after them, he knew it was pointless to stress about it.

Beckett could sense his tension, it seemed, for she leaned over and murmured to him, 'Relax, Rick, if I start thinking I'm going to drop this shorty, you'll be the first one I'll tell, okay?'

'Understood.'

'Whassa matta?' RJ asked, looking at his parents. 'Bumpy coming now?'

'No, bumpy's not coming now, but Daddy's worrying he or she might be,' Beckett told him, 'and it's annoying Mumum.'

'Daddy no worry, bumpy be here soon.'

'I know RJ,' Castle laughed, then laid down his next card. 'Let's just play some cards for now, okay?'

'Sounds good Dad.' Alexis picked up her wine that Shane had given her, then made a little noise in her throat. 'Oh, so small change of plans for the wedding,' she added, 'we've had to change the colour scheme.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, the colours we wanted for the bridesmaids and ushers have been discontinued so we're going instead with a dusky purple, liked smoked amethyst.'

'I know Alexis had her heart set on the other colours,' Shane continued, 'but I think this will look really good. And silver lining, we haven't put any money down on the dresses or the tuxes yet which means we haven't wasted any of our budget.'

'Have you decided on your wedding party yet?' Beckett inquired, rubbing her stomach where the baby had given her a swift karate chop to the belly-button.

'Uh-huh, it's going to be Ryan, Esposito, and Dave, and my old roommate Body will be my best man,' Shane replied.

'And my bridesmaids are going to be Lanie, Meredeth and Theresa, and of course Sloan. She's getting her assistant to do all our photography too. He's really good, he works with her a lot so he knows what he's doing,' Alexis added, then shook her head. 'When I asked her, she was so excited because it means she will get to have at least one post-baby mom-only night.'

'I still can't believe Sloan is pregnant,' Castle sighed. 'I remember when you two were in high school and you thought _American Pie_ was the height of nasty.'

'I know, but she'll be a great mom. I think she and Garrett are hoping it's a boy. Sloan has always said she thinks she'd do better with a baby boy than a girl.'

'Well, either way, they'll be great parents,' Beckett decided, then looked around. 'So, are we eating soon or what?'

'Soon,' Shane promised her, 'we have to wait until sundown, and then we light the candles and eat fried chicken and wedges, gravy, salad, the works.'

'Oh, baby you're making me hungry too, and I'm not even pregnant.' Alexis feigned an exaggerated groan, pressed her hand to her stomach.

Beckett laughed, then winced as she felt a ripple in her abdomen. 'Oh, man, that's not pleasant.'

'What? What is it?' Castle's radar sounded off as he heard the discomfit in his wife's voice. 'Is the baby coming?'

'No, I think it's just Braxton Hicks. Shane you mind if I use your and Alexis' room for a lie-down?'

'Not at all.' Shane pointed the way. 'You know where it is. You want some tea?'

'Yeah, that would be nice, thanks.'

'Mumum, you okay?' RJ watched her with careful eyes, his heart beating a little quicker. 'My bumpy okay?'

'Yes, I have a few little muscles spasms in my tummy, that's all honey,' she reassured her son. 'Shane's making me a hot drink which will help and I'm going to have a little rest before dinner.'

'What a passim?'

'It's when your muscle moves suddenly and you didn't say 'move now' with your body,' Shane tried to explain.

'Oh, okay. Bumpy, no passimin',' RJ instructed his unborn sibling, speaking directly to the bump. 'It no' good fo' Mumum.'

'Thanks RJ.'

Beckett levered herself off the couch, went the short steps to Shane and Alexis' room. The space was friendly and comforting, as she thought all bedrooms should be, not the palace of lovemaking some people liked to decorate for. The bed itself was comfy as a cloud, sheets almost silky as she wrapped herself in the warm pertussis linens and goose-down duvet.

'It's okay, baby,' she murmured, stroked the bump which felt soft and heavy under her clothes today. It still hadn't dropped and it was definitely making breathing tricky these days but she knew that when that moment came, she would be very happy as it meant the baby was working its way into position.

Beckett didn't even notice she'd nodded out until she awoke with a very unpleasant, cramped feeling in her abdomen. It felt like her Braxton-Hicks usually did, only stronger somehow. Sitting up she tried to remember those stupid breathing techniques Andrea and Honey-Milk had instructed her on in birthing class, and when the tension subsided, she breathed a little easier. Glancing at her watch, she made a mental note of the time, and decided to wait for a few minutes to see if it happened again.

When it happened three more times, these odd Braxton-Hicks contractions, Beckett shoved herself to her feet, walked out of the bedroom to find everyone was at the kitchen table and just about to light the menorah.

'Hey, honey,' Castle greeted her warmly, then saw the look on her face. 'Kate, what is it?'

'I think I need to go the hospital. I...I think I might be having contractions.'


	54. The RJ Afternoon: 40 Weeks

Castle leaned back from his Christmas wrapping, rolled his head in a stretching neck-circle to ease the cramped muscles. Two hours of Christmas wrapping was not good for the posture, he decided, but this was pretty much the only time he had right now to get it done since both his bride and his boy were having their afternoon naps.

The last two weeks had been absolute insanity in the Castle castle getting ready for Christmas. First, there had been RJ's birthday party which fun as it had been with the bunnies theme - RJ could not be swayed come hell or high water, the boy loved his rabbits - had also taken a toll both physically and emotionally on them both, for when the party had died down, Beckett had had another false alarm just like on the second night of Chanukah. She'd broken down into exhausted, frustrated sobs in the exam room that she'd both ruined the night with her freaking out over unescaped gas by making everyone worry and cocked up Shane's tradition. When he'd reassured her that Chanukah would always be around, but her needs as a pregnant woman were for the here and now, she'd dissolved once more into tears.

When they'd gotten home, Castle had spent nearly an hour comforting her into sleep and then another hour staring at the ceiling before he finally passed out himself at one in the morning. Not normally a big-fucking-deal but it just so happened that this was the night before he had to leave for Seattle for three days, as he'd been scheduled to be the guest of honour at opening the first one-hundred percent eco-friendly Barnes & Noble location. He'd been tempted in the ER to call Paula and let her know that his wife was going into the hospital almost routinely with baby false alarms, but Paula reassured him that if he needed to fly out for an emergency they would have his name on notice at the airport.

That he was still going made his wife to fly into a shit-fit of a temper tantrum, and rightfully so, but at the same time, Castle felt very small inside for admitting he needed just a few days for peace and quiet for himself. He loved his family and his wife but since the beginning of December, he'd felt less like Richard Castle and just like Daddy. As he'd read the baby books front to back, inside out and upside down, he knew that however upset it made Beckett, he knew that the breather would do them both some good in the long run. The moment he'd landed in Seattle, when he'd called her the first thing she'd done was apologize for fighting with him before he left and added that since she was on maternity leave now with her hubby gone for a day or two she would get some seriously top-notch one-on-one time with RJ which of course the little boy was over the moon about. Castle had breathed a sigh of relief and things had gone back into their regular pattern.

Upon his return, it had been a whirlwind of Christmas preparations. With Alexis home for Christmas vacation and ready for the break, she'd spent as much time as she could with her family; RJ was absolutely tickled pink that his sister was there to bake with him and be his official taster and help him wrap his presents. They'd gone tree-hunting with the Espositos and Ryans, and Shane and Alexis had come along to pick out their tree as well, which had them curious but Shane explained that it would be very uncool if he didn't celebrate Christmas with Alexis when she always celebrated Chanukah with him.

Now, they were two days away from the twenty-fifth; the cookies were baked, the tree was trimmed and Castle was ready for an afternoon to just flake. Both mother and son would be down for the count for at least another hour so he would get to-

'Daddy?'

Castle glanced up, saw RJ on the mid-way landing of the stairs, Omeo in one hand, the other clutching the railing. 'Hey, big guy, what's up?'

'I no' suh-leepy.'

'Why aren't you sleepy?'

RJ gave a little shrug, then made it the rest of the way down the stairs and over to his father. He felt so jumbled up inside, emotions he didn't recognize scaring him and trying to fight their way out of him somehow. 'I suh-cared.'

'Why, did you have a bad dream?'

'No.'

'Then why the long face?'

'Carey say babies nee' lossa time wit' Mumum. Mumum 'mem-er me 'till?'

'Oh, RJ.' Castle closed his eyes, then opened them when he felt his son crawl into his lap. The boy was so resilient and excited for his new baby that it made dealing with a toddler's natural insecurities about being replaced or forgotten all the more difficult sometimes. He wrapped his arms around the boy, held him tight. 'You listen to me, Richard James Castle. You are Mumum's number one baby and never forget that. She loves you so much, we could never forget about you. And besides, your mumum's going to need your help.'

'But I 'till lit-tle. How I gonna help?'

'Well, let's think about this.' Castle shifted so he was in a more comfy position with RJ snuggled against him. 'Let's say your mumum is in the nursery and changing the baby and the phone rings. What would you do?'

'I fin' it and pusha but-ton an' say 'Castle house'.'

'Exactly, that helps Mumum out. Or what if she's downstairs warming up the baby's bottle of milk and she says, 'RJ can you get me a blanket for the baby.' What about that?'

'I say Mumum, I know where fin' buh-lankies!'

'See, you'll be a great big bro for the baby and Mumum will be so happy that you're helping her.'

'Huh.' RJ pondered it, realized that there was so much for him to do to be a big brother. 'O-kay, I guessit no' so bad.'

'Exactly.'

'But...but Carey and Dell say I can' be there when baby is born! I wanna see my bumpy righ'-way!'

'Well...' On this Castle trailed off a little, tried to think of the best way to explain it. 'See, when the baby is actually born, Mumum goes into a special room in the hospital where the doctor and I help Mumum while the baby comes out of her body.'

'The puh-ri-vate 'pot,' RJ nodded. 'I 'member tha' par'.'

'That's right and it's going to be very busy and a little scary for Mumum, so Harvey said even though you're awesome helping him during the Mumum's appointments, right when the baby's born it's going to be just for Mumum and me.'

'S'okay, Daddy, I unner-tan'.'

'RJ?'

'Yes Daddy?'

'You are the best little boy and big brother in the world.' Castle gave his son's forehead a hard smacking kiss and laughed when RJ did the same back to him. 'Thanks buddy.'

'Wel-come. Daddy?'

'Yes RJ.'

'We make a pishal suppah fo' Mumum an' bumpy?'

'What did you have in mind?'

RJ screwed up his little face in concentration, drummed his little fist against his temple the way he always did when he was in deep thought. 'Maybe...raffy-lis an' t'mato sauce an' sheese?'

'Ravioli with tomato sauce and cheese? You want to have meatballs or just meat in the sauce?'

'Inna sauce. And buh-read.'

'Sounds good. Why don't you find our aprons and we'll get started on dinner.'

Fifteen minutes later, RJ was sitting on the edge of the counter, swinging his legs gently. 'Daddy, it 'mell way yummy.'

'It does indeed.'

'Daddy? What Mumum ea' when I a bumpy?'

'She liked a lot of sandwiches, and fruit smoothies. And cake,' Castle added, stirring minced onions into the browning ground beef. 'Maybe that is where your sweet tooth comes from.'

'I love cookies, Daddy.'

'I know you do.'

'And Tah-rini.'

'And Trini.'

RJ gave his father a proud yet bashful smile. 'I gonna marry Tah-rini, jus' like Alessis an' Shane.'

'Are you now?'

'Uh-huh, an' I make'er lossa cookies. Wit' shocolate ships.'

'Well, my little Romeo, right now you have an equally important task. You get to go wake Mumum up and tell her dinner's ready.'

'I tas' it firs', Daddy?'

Castle took out a teaspoon, dipped it into the sauce for his son. 'There, how's it taste?'

'Yummy. Okay, I go ge' Mumum.'

RJ held out his arms to his father, and once he was on his feet, he raced for the stairs to go and find his mother. He gently shoved open the door and walked over to find her body under the cozy-looking duvet. With a gentle hand, RJ stroked his tiny hand over her arm. 'Mumum,' he called to her softly. 'Mumum, time-a wake-up, 'noozey!'

'Whah?' Beckett mumbled in her sleep, forcing her gluey eyes open.

'Mumum, it Ah-Shay, me an' Daddy make suppah!'

'Oh, sweetie, thank you so much.' Still exhausted but having it overpowered by her hunger she sat up, rubbing her belly. 'Oh, bumpy and I are hungry. What are you serving tonight, chef?'

'It a suh-pise, Mumum. But no worry, it yummy!'


	55. The Best Kiss Ever

_Okay everyone! So I know you'll probably loathe me for not including RJ's birthday, but I wanted to keep this story moving. Enough from me, here we go!_

* * *

><p>'Castle, come on, why do we have to?'<p>

Beckett knew she was whining but she didn't care; she'd earned the right to whine by now, by God. It was New Year's Eve, and after the busy week of Christmas three times over, she wanted to just relax before the baby was born.

Her pain in the ass husband, however, had different ideas.

'Seriously, why can't we just order in,' she added, even as Castle helped her into her coat. 'RJ's spending the day with the Espositos so we can get ready for the party tonight, we have the place to ourselves which means we can have as much living room furniture nookie as we want.'

'Two things.' Castle passed his wife her woolen mittens she'd gotten in the Secret Santa feeding frenzy, then tugged on his own stylish cashmere gloves. 'One, don't say nookie, it sounds weird coming from anyone not on _Jersey Shore_.'

'And two?'

'Two, because the doctor said it's good for you if you're getting anxious about the baby. So we are going to walk over to Pinkos for hot wings and if that doesn't work, we're going to stop at Duane Reade's and buy the bulk-size bottle of castor oil.'

Beckett fidgeted, tried not to sigh in impatience. 'You suck sometimes, you know that?'

'Love you too honey.'

'And don't call me honey like that. I'm not some bimbo you picked up in a Vegas casino and tried to impress with your big fat wallet.'

'If I picked up a bimbo in a Vegas casino, way before you came into my life I might add, she would be calling something of mine big and fat but it wouldn't be just my wallet.'

Beckett held her finger to his lips. 'Rick, let's not end this year on a squabble, okay?'

'Deal.'

Once they were on the street, Beckett found that the temperature wasn't nearly as chilly as the meteorologists had predicted so it made the walk a lot more bearable. She felt so huge, like all of a sudden she'd gained an extra fifty pounds since having Chanukah dinner with Shane and Alexis, and she was just about ready to scream, or else reach up inside her uterus and pull the baby out like the final treat in the foot of her Christmas stocking.

She was thankful her husband at least let them take the subway part of the way to Pinkos, as walking all the way from the loft would have been just insanity bordering on the cruel. When they arrived at the restaurant, Beckett gave the skinny little waitress-bitch a half-smile as Samantha Name-Tag showed them to a booth. Of course, when she was feeling like a bloated moose was the day that she got the waitress that had her non-baby body who just gave her a look of pity disguised as feminine sympathy. Beckett barely controlled her sneer as the girl scuttled off to bring them the club soda and cranberry juice they requested.

'So, what else is there to get ready for tonight?' Beckett asked her husband as he perused the menu; she didn't bother looking at it since she knew exactly what her husband going to order for them both. 'The food's coming around six, guests around seven, apartment's been cleaned.'

'Nope, not a damn thing, which is why we are going to enjoy our hot wings and our walk.'

'I'm not a bloody poodle, Richard,' Beckett snapped, then let out a sharp breath. 'Sorry. I'm sorry, Rick.'

'I understand.'

'And I totally get why you were oogling our waitress.'

'Okay, now that's the pregnancy brain talking, because all I'm thinking about is how my wife is about forty weeks pregnant and the next words she says to me are probably going to be 'I'm in labour' twenty-four seven.' He took her hand in his and winked at her. 'And I'm also thinking about how hot of hot wings you can handle.'

'The hottest. I want our bumpy here soon.'

'Here we are, sir.' The twiggy little waitress came back with their drinks, then stayed slightly bent over while she took out her notepad to take their order to try and give Castle a nice juicy peek at her goodies. 'What can I bring you?'

Castle, never one to stand for girls bringing negative attention like this - and the waitress was definitely a girl, she was barely twenty-one - so he turned to her and said in a level voice, 'Excuse me, you see this lovely lady?'

'Yes.'

'This is my wife, she is pregnant with our second baby and she is the only woman I want bending over like that at me, so straighten up, sweetie, and we'll have the four-pound wings platter.'

The waitress, more than a little miffed looking, adjusted her posture and wrote down the order. 'What kinds of sauce?'

'Two pounds of Hell's Kitchen, one of the Alfredo and one of the honey-mustard, please.'

'Right away.'

'Ho-boy, she is pissed with you,' Beckett chuckled, then rubbed her belly. 'No, it's not a contraction, Daddy,' she reassured him when his eyes focused on her. 'Hunger pains. I'm really starving.'

'Then we'll see if we can get Little Miss Flashing-Her-Tits back over here for some jalepeno bread, too.'

* * *

><p>'Seriously?'<p>

'Seriously, I thought if he could have, he'd have called her father up and

Lanie had to laugh at her friend as she recounted the story of the slutty server from Pinkos, glad to see her friend was having a chuckle over it instead of spiraling down as she knew she would have done when she was that heavily pregnant. She sipped her cocktail, and looked around to see if her husband was still pondering doing shots of tequila with Shane, Ryan and Esposito in honour of their own anniversary tape as well as Shane having only seven months to go before it was his turn to go down the aisle.

'So, how are you still awake?'

'Rick made me nap when we got back from Pinkos,' Beckett pouted just like her son. 'But it's worth it, you know? I haven't missed a New Year's since I was fourteen. I mean, there was one year I missed it because I was in the hospital with mono, but we still had ginger-ale spiked with apple juice and three kinds of ice cream.'

'Step back crazy lady,' Lanie giggled.

'Lanie, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about a lot of what was going on with my mother's case,' Beckett confessed and wasn't surprised when her friend's eyes soften in sympathy. 'I just wanted to tell you that, since there's only like five minutes before midnight. I didn't want it hanging on my conscience before the new year begins.'

'Kate, it's okay, I get it. I'm your best friend, girl, and I'm a big enough person to understand when I'm not the right ear you need to sound off on. I always know when the time is right you'll come to me.'

'No. No, no, no, don't do that!'

Lanie gave her a look. 'Do what? Oh, sweetie, don't worry,' she told her, passing her tissues as her eyes fountained up. 'I'm a sympathetic crier, you know that.'

'I know, I know.' Beckett dabbed her eyes, then glared at her belly. 'If you were here by now, Mumum wouldn't be so gushy.'

'Hear that, bumpy?' Lanie leaned over and gave her friend's tummy a friendly rub. 'That's just your mama wanting to see you, so hurry up and get here.'

'Hey, wifey-boo!'

Both women glanced up and the good doctor burst out laughing. 'Oh my hubby-kins, what the hell did you do?'

'Had fun,' Dave replied as he grinned while showing off a pair of glasses he'd fashioned from straws and lemon peels. 'We had a li'l tequila.'

'I thought we agreed no boozing heavy tonight in case Beckett's bumpy makes an appearance.'

'I've only had two shots of tequila, this was just to make the guys laugh,' Dave told her, giving his bride a kiss. 'If Kate goes pop, my bag is in the downstairs bathroom.'

'Thanks, Dave,' Beckett added, then shifted as she felt the pinch in her belly, thought nothing of it. She'd had the routine of Braxton-Hicks late at night like this for the last four days and wondered if she could sweet-talk Dave into bringing her over one of those fresh-juice cocktails Meredeth liked to make for the mamas in their family.

'Ball's dropping!' Castle hollered from across the room, then went to grab his wife from off the couch. He could tell she was feeling the discomfort of her B-H contractions, so when he pulled her to her feet he made sure to give her belly an extra pet. 'Come on, mumum, you ready for a new year?'

'As long as it's with you and this baby comes soon.'

As everyone around them counted down the final ten seconds, Beckett pulled her husband in for a kiss she knew would melt his mind. Here, whatever happened with everything else in their lives, her mother's case, her father's romance with Agnes, they would always have these moments together.

Castle drew back from her, lips curved in a smile. 'Happy New Year, Kate, I...what?' he interrupted himself when he saw her eyes go just a little wide. Then he heard it - the unmistakable _sploosh_ of fluid landing on the floor.

'My water just broke, Rick.'


	56. The First Stages

Castle looked down at the puddle between them, then let out a loud laugh. 'Holy shit! Baby, you're having a baby!'

'It's baby time?' Across the room, for Castle's voice had carried in the large echoing space, Alexis' head whipped up like a wolf scenting sheep. One look at her friends and she let out a shriek. 'Oh my God! It's baby time! Shane! Daniel! Javier! Everyone! Kate's in labour!'

There was such a flurry of noise as everyone rushed over to see if it was the real deal and when Andrea nearly slipped in the puddle by Beckett's feet, she let out an excited yell. 'Oh boy, oh boy! We have to get you to Saint Vincent's! Dave, you've got your kit, you take care of that. Castle, you time the contractions, I'll get Harvey on the line and Honey-Milk, you and Mere watch the babies, okay?'

'My word, you are sexy when you're bossing people around,' Daniel told his wife, then pulled out his cellphone, dialed the doctor. 'Harvey, it's Daniel Brick. Kate Beckett's gone into labour, we're bringing her in.'

'Kate, where are your bags?' Ryan asked her cautiously.

'Upstairs.'

'I'll grab them for you.'

'And a fresh pair of pants, please. The ones in the laundry basket by the ensuite door are clean.'

Ryan nodded, zipped upstairs; Beckett barely registered he was gone, for she could feel another contraction coming on and braced herself. When it was nothing more intense than the little ones she realized she'd been feeling all night, she breathed a little easier, and looked at Castle. 'Are we sure I didn't just wet my pants?'

'Sweetie, I work with children and I know my bodily fluids,' Andrea informed her. 'That's not pee, that's amniotic fluid. Time to go to the hospitall.'

'No, not yet, I have to tell RJ,' Beckett insisted and Castle let her hand slip from his so she could navigate the stairs on her own. She shoved open RJ's door, saw half the group of little kids in there sound asleep in sleeping bags on the trundle bed. For better or worse, inappropriate or not, Trini had claimed a spot with her sleeping bag beside RJ on his big-boy bed and was sighing lightly in her sleep with Omeo snuggled tightly between her and RJ.

Picking her way over, she crouched as best as she could and shook her son's shoulder. 'RJ, my little prince, you need to wake up.'

'Mumum? Whassa mattah?'

'RJ, the baby's coming, which means Daddy has to take me to the hospital.'

'It time fo' bumpy bur-day?' The sleep cleared instantly from RJ's eyes and voice and he sat up like a mummy, then turned to poke at Trini. 'Tah-rini, geddup, it bumpy time!'

'Baby comin'?' the little girl asked, still half-asleep.

'Uh-huh! I gonna be a big buh-ro!'

'Yea Ah-Shay!' she replied weakly, then nodded off, even as RJ tried to scramble out of bed.

'I comin' wit' you Mumum.'

'No, sweetie,' Beckett started, but RJ's tone was set firm as stone.

'I comin' wit' my bumpy, Mumum. Omeo, you 'tay here wit' Tah-rini.'

He left his precious rabbit in the care of his childhood sweetheart, then wound his way past the other little ones still asleep to the end of his bureau where he picked up his little back-pack. 'C'mon, Mumum, we go get coats an' boots.'

With nothing but pure love in her heart for how stoic her little man was Beckett let him take her wrist and lead her out of the room, downstairs to where all the partygoers save for Honey-Milk and Meredeth were gathered; those two lovely ladies had taken themselves off to bed since Honey-Milk was coming off a double shift and Meredeth needed the rest being pregnant as well. She gave her husband a look she hoped read 'just go with it' when RJ went over to the door and began tugging on his boots.

'He would be worse to handle here than at the hospital,' she told him, and Castle nodded.

'I think you're right. Besides, we want him there for the first moments of his bumpy's life, right?'

'Right.' The way he said it made little tears well in Beckett's eyes. 'We're having another one, Rick.'

'You betcha.'

'But not here at home,' Andrea chipped in, already dressed for the outside weather. 'Time to get in the car.'

* * *

><p>They checked into Saint Vincent's around quarter to one in the morning, and just like with RJ, because Beckett was focused on everything going on in her body she left the paperwork details to her hubby. She was escorted up to a room in the maternity wing, and despite RJ's insistence he stay with his mother, she managed to put on the thin hospital gown without any interference.<p>

'Okay,' she told them from behind the zip-line curtain, 'I'm decent.'

Castle drew the cloth partition back and smiled at her. 'Quite the way to start the new year,' he commented as she sat on the edge of the bed.

'Mumum, I sit wit' you?' RJ asked politely with a yawn. 'I 'till suh-leepy.'

'It's okay to be sleepy, my little prince. The baby isn't going to magically pop out in the next few minutes, it's going to take a long time.'

'I take a long time?'

'Longer than Trini but less than Tessi,' Beckett told him. 'You were an overnight baby, just like this one, only you decided you wanted to be up early in time for breakfast. This baby will be here in time for lunch tomorrow.'

'Baby have milk fo' lunsh, righ'?' RJ asked.

'That's right.'

'Milk make babies 'tong.'

The door opened and Harvey appeared in his scrubs, looking a little bit fatigued. 'Well hello Detective, what brings you in tonight?'

'Oh, you know how it is, Doctor, one minute you're at a New Year's Eve party, and then your uterus says, 'hey let's really get this party started with a new baby,'' Castle told him, picking up RJ and turning him against his shoulder while Harvey snapped on latex gloves to give Beckett a quick pelvic exam. 'Are Andrea and Brick scrubbing in?'

'Yep, and I know Honey-Milk will be here around six am, probably just in time to go into the delivery room.'

'That quickly?' Beckett looked at Harvey. 'Isn't that pretty fast?'

'It is, but you're already dilated three centimetres, Kate.'

'Why is it with this pregnancy I always feel like I'm the last one in on the punchline? I'm the mom, I'm supposed to be in charge, right?'

Harvey only chuckled, then addressed Andrea as she walked into the room, also dressed in her scrubs. 'Ah, Lady Brick, we need the standard cocktail for Kate, and perhaps a sleep-cot for the soon-to-be big-brother.'

'Hey you know what I just realized? It's after midnight,' Beckett said in an intrigued tone when the medical professionals had left the room.

'Yeah, so?'

'That means technically there will be four years between our boy and this one,' she explained, rubbing her belly which was no longer soft and slightly squishy, but a hard little lump. 'And that my father has been sober for thirteen years, and Alexis will be married in about seven months. And we're one step closer to getting those SOBs who killed my mom.'

'Knock-knock.'

They glanced up and saw Ryan there along with Esposito and Daniel, the last of whom was also in his scrubs. He had the IV tubing lines and a couple of bags on the tray in his hands. 'Time to get you on-line, Kate,' he teased her as he swabbed her hand with an alcohol-soaked sterile pad. 'Then we'll get you mainlining sugar.'

'Can I still have clear fluids like water and tea and apple juice?'

'For now, but once I administer your epidural, that goes into the no-no category,' he reminded her.

'Understood. Ryan, or Espo-'

'I got it.' Esposito gave her a firm nod and a sly wink, then zipped off while Ryan continued to watch them.

'Everyting on the level with RJ? I thought he was going to stay with Jenny at the loft.'

'He's a Castle, he's stubborn,' Castle reminded him, then looked around. 'Where are Alexis and Shane? I thought they were in a cab right behind us from the loft?'

'They detoured to their place first, for some reason,' Ryan said, brushing it off that they were going to pick up a birthing gift for Beckett and Castle both. 'I think Shane said something about needing his communicator in case he got called in since he is on call in the morning.'

'Okay, I...oh, oh man, Rick this siisa stronger one.'

'Here.' Castle passed RJ to Ryan, then held his wife's hand as he kept his voice low and soothing. 'That's right sweetie, you got this in the bag, in through the nose, out through the mouth, that's the way.'

'Ryan? Daddy soun' funny,' RJ mumbled against the cop's shoulder.

'It's okay, it's all part of bumpy being born. Why don't we go and find a cup of coffee and a juice-box?'


	57. The Night Owls

Just like when RJ was born, there was a constant cycle of visitors through Beckett's birthing suite, rotating through to make sure Castle didn't burn out and to give Beckett fresh faces to focus on every twenty-minutes. However, unlike RJ, she could find no position sitting down that felt comfortable just yet so she instead paced around the room, toting her IV's along like medicinal luggage-on-wheels.

'Mom, are you sure that's okay,' Alexis asked her with a wary look as Beckett turned and paced back towards them. 'I don't want my new little brother or sister to be born doing a handstand.'

'It's okay, Lexy,' Shane reassured her without looking up from his Kindle. 'The most important thing for women in labour is to be comfortable so that they can focus on working through contractions. Anything they're forced to do risks putting their stress level and by extension the baby's, through the roof.'

'Look at you, Doctor,' Beckett commented, going over to sit on the edge of her bed. 'Thought your specialty was the dead?'

'They are, but when I was in my third year of medical school and we did our hospital observation rounds, I was in with the OBGYNs and let me tell you when you see a lady pushing a baby out of her special area, whatever happens in that room tends to stick with you, including what the doctor says.'

'Special area?' Alexis giggled. 'That a technical term, Shane?'

'You'd prefer something from _Penthouse_, Alexis?'

'Okay, okay, there is a baby being born here, the only person I want it to hear saying bad words is me,' Beckett told them both. 'Lex, did you get ahold of my dad and Agnes?'

'No, I didn't, maybe they're already on their way back from San Francisco?'

'Maybe.'

'That's pretty serious, your pops and Miss Agnes going on a trip together,' Shane commented.

'They love each other, and after seeing my father so miserable for so many years, I'm not about to stop on his happiness. I think...I think having this new line of investigation for us to work on is another way for him to heal, you know? It...oh, damn. Damn, damn, damn.'

'Mom, you okay?' Alexis' radar went off and she was ready to sprint for the nurses' station at the word go.

'Yeah, just give me a moment.' Beckett leaned a little to her left and the room was filled with the sound of flatulence escaping. 'OH, God, that's much better. Sorry if it stinks, but it's the IV, they make me gassy.'

'Better out than in.'

All three people in the birthing suite looked over to see Castle with RJ in his arms and Lili at his elbow. To their utter amazement, the boy was awake and blinking tired eyes at them all. 'RJ, my little prince, why are you awake at three in the morning?' Beckett asked in genuine concern.

'You say it time fo' bumpy bur-day, Mumum,' he replied on a yawn. 'Where s'it?'

'It's not here yet, honey.'

'Daddy lemme down, I wanna see Mumumum puh-lease,' he begged, squirming a little as Castle set him on his feet. He walked over to Beckett's bedside and gave the belly a little poke. 'Why you no' here?'

'He's scared to go to sleep because he doesn't want to miss the baby being born,' Lili tried to explain, and the others in the room nodded in understanding.

'RJ, come here.' Alexis patted her lap and RJ climbed on. 'Remember how it took a long time for Mumum to grow our baby inside her belly?'

'Uh-huh.' He knuckled his tired eyes.

'Well it's going to take a few more hours for it to get outside of Mumum's body.'

'No! I wan' my baby now!' RJ's faced crumpled up and he began to sob in tiny frightened mewls, like a scared kitten.

'RJ, hey, it's okay to have a nap,' Lili told him. 'The baby won't be here until lunchtime, the doctor said so.'

'You shoo, Lili?'

'Positive. Why don't you and I have some nice hot tea and maybe that will help you sleep?'

'Wit' suga'? An' cookies?'

'We'll see if we can find something.'

Lili held out her hand, and RJ slid off of his sister's lap. His voice echoed down the hallway as he informed Lili that he loved tea and cookies at Christmas time with his Trini, giving them all a chuckle. Back in the room, Castle looked at Alexis and Shane. 'You two, clear off as well. The Ry-Sposito monster when to the twenty-four hour Martindale Express, so there's fixings for sandwiches, and chips and salad in the lounge.'

'Okay, did you get ahold of Poppy Jim and Agnes?' Alexis asked, gathering up her purse.

'Yeah, they called me just a few minutes ago. Their original one-thirty flight was canceled, there's massive thunderstorms in San-Fran, so they are delayed for three hours. They'll be here, though,' Castle reassured his wife as he sat down beside her. 'We're all here for you.'

'I'm glad you're here, Castle. It feels like...no, forget it, it's silly.'

'What,' he prodded her, brushing her damp hair back from her brow.

'It feels like since this was an easy pregnancy physically, the universe decided to toss emotional shit in my path. Our path.'

'Hey. There's always a reason the universe does things like this to us. Look at Meredeth and Javi, and Lanie and Dave. Lanie met Dave the night Lanie realized nothing was ever going to happen with Javier, and here they are, each one happily married and almost seven babies between them.

'Seven babies, wow.' Beckett let out a whistle. 'They are a happy couple of couples, aren't they?'

'So are we. Do you know Kate there are times when I forget that Alexis didn't come from your body, the way you are with her?'

'Rick, come on. Don't make a woman in labour cry, that's just...oh. Oh, man, mmf, contraction, big one.'

'Okay.' Castle shifted out of the bed, pulled up a chair beside her. He spoke in a caressing tone, let his voice be her focus. Behind him, he heard the monitors beeping shrilly, and when the contraction was done, Beckett's fearful eyes glanced over.

'Rick, that doesn't sound right,' she told him.

Before he even had to open his mouth, the door opened and Harvey came in with Andrea and Daniel flanking him; the latter held a tray with the tools for an epidural in his hands. 'Okay, kids, how's our little turkey cooking?' he asked in his usual style, reaching for the printout. Without flicking an eyelash, Harvey turned to Andrea. 'Lady Nurse Brick, we need an ultrasound machine in here.'

'Yes sir.'

Andrea nipped out and Beckett tried to sit up further in her gurney. 'Harvey what is it?'

'The baby's heart-rate is fluctuating, but that could be due to a number of things. First and foremost we are going to have a look and see if the cord is causing any problems and go from there.'

'You think the cord might be wrapped around the baby's neck?' Castle ventured cautiously.

'We'll look at the ultrasound to see what it can tell us,' Harvey replied, then glanced over when Andrea brought the machine in. 'Thank you, Lady Brick.'

She nodded, then rounded the bed to take Beckett's hand in hers; she knew what it was to be a mother in labour surrounded by men and want a face of the same gender. 'Nice deep breaths, Katie-Lou,' Andrea told her. 'Nice and steady.'

'Uh-huh.'

Beckett tried to focus on her breathing , her eyes all the while glued to the ultrasound screen, and when Harvey moved the wand, then shut off the machine, he turned back to them with the patient support in his eyes that had been there when RJ was born. 'The good news is the cord isn't wrapped or tangled around or near the baby's neck,' he informed them.

'But?' Castle prompted.

'But the baby still hasn't turned enough yet for it to be born via push-birth, so I'm going to order a muscle relaxant for you Kate, so the space isn't as constricting for the baby in your uterus, and you are going to lay on your side, right at the edge of your bed so gravity can work on helping you. Daniel, a single dose of heptoproxen should do it, we'll revisit in an hour.'

When the medical staff had gone, Beckett let out a little sob. 'Rick-'

'It's okay. Harvey's the best, he won't let anything happen to you or the baby. He's delivered all of the little ones, with the exception of Kelley, Duncan, Dell and Rosie. And remember, the same thing happened to Meredeth when she was having her first baby, right?'

'Uh-huh.'

'So.' Castle toed off his shoes and climbed in so he was spooning with his pregnant wife. 'I will be here for you and you and I will see this thing through together, right?'

'We're a team.'

'Damn right we are.' His hands stroked over the lump beneath her hospital gown, now hard as the muscle contracted. 'Hear that, bumpy? Mumum and Daddy are right here.'


	58. The Holding Pattern

Never had an hour gone so slowly for Castle in his life, not even waiting for the hours to tick by when Alexis and RJ had been born. He'd had an urge for a cigarette which Beckett found hilarious since he didn't smoke. Hearing her laugh at him, in her finger-pointing school-yard way when she thought he was being utterly foolish made his tension dip, but not by much. He'd seen the way she cried out, even with the epidural doing its thing; it scared him so much that the moment Harvey walked back in with Andrea he was in him like shit on Velcro.

'Doctor Harvey, I think something is wrong,' he said in a not-quite-steady voice. 'She keeps feeling pain, should she feel anything when the epidural's in place?'

'Yes, normally that is true, but as Daniel also gave her the muscle relaxant to help the baby move into its proper place, the dosage of the epidural was lower than what it normally would be.'

'So this is normal?' Beckett asked, fingers clenching in effort on the bedsheets. 'I supposed to feel mostly numb with some pinching?'

'Precisely, Kate.'

Castle looked at the strain for calm on his wife's face and then back at Harvey. 'May I have a word with you in private, Doctor?'

In the hallway, he rounded on him, voice hissing and fierce. 'My wife is _not_ okay, Harvey. She is still in pain with the epidural? I've done my reading, and I know there's something up.'

'Rick, you know I pride myself on being honest with my patients. We are goign to do another ultrasound shortly and see what position the baby's in. I'll make the decision then, and I will be honest with you both.'

'Okay.' Castle pressed a hand to his stomach as he felt the acid churn inside it. 'Is...is there any chance of losing the baby?'

'No.' Now Harvey's kind eyes turned to steel. 'No, there is no way I'm letting that happen. If I think the baby won't be able to be born safely with a push-birth, I will have Daniel and Andrea prepare for an emergency c-section. But I won't make that decision unless it is absolutely necessary. Richard, I know it's stressful watching your wife go through pain like this so please trust me that I will do my job right.'

'I trust you with my life. You're taking care of Kate, aren't you?'

Understanding they'd reached detante for the time being, Harvey went back in to see Andrea sitting with Beckett as they breathed through a contraction. 'Okay, that wasn't so bad, was it?' she tld her friend, and Beckett laughed.

'No, not so bad. Not as bad as when RJ was at this stage,' Beckett agreed with a tired nod, then turned to her back with a little help as her doctor approached her with the tube of ultrasound gel. 'Tell me that's caramel for an ice cream sundae.'

'Well, if the baby has red hair like Alexis, that'll be the cherry. There's a good girl, Katie-Lou.'

Harvey gently moved the device over her belly and smiled with a curt nod. 'Still not all the way there but in a good position nonetheless. So, from now until the baby's born, on your side Katie, belly over the gurney. Andrea, I need your hands here to give Kate her pelvic check.'

Wondering how this was going to work as Beckett rolled back to her side, she watched as Andrea lifted her leg like they were in pilates class, and rested her ankle on her shoulder.

'See you had a pedicure recently,' Andrea commented as she inspected Beckett's toes near her cheek. 'Why silver and blue stripes?'

'I was with Alexis when we got it done and decided to do the traditional colours of Chanukah since it was day four.'

'I'm so excited to watch them get married this summer. I've never been to a Jewish wedding.'

'It will be beautiful, it...oh! Christ, you've got cold hands, Harvey!'

Harvey chuckled. 'If it was warm and fun, your husband would be throttling me. You're already at five centimetres, this little one wants to get here in a timely fashion. Thank you Andrea.'

Andrea nodded, eased Beckett's leg back down into a more comfortable position so her foot was planted on the bed and the crook of her knee formed a triangle. 'There, bet you feel less like a circus freak now, huh?'

'A little bit.' Beckett sighed, glanced at Andrea's watch upside down. It was still too early to inquire about seeing RJ, and yet, she wanted her son with her, she wanted him so badly it almost made her ache. 'Castle, I know he'll be asleep, but-'

'I'll bring him in for a cuddle.'

'Thank you.'

Beckett closed her eyes, tried for a little peace even as her muscles over her abdomen rippled and contracted even harder. She panted out the breath, tried out one of the visualization techniques that Meredeth suggested and found it worked for a little bit. Her eyes opened when she heard her husband's voice once more, murmuring to RJ about staying quiet and still for them. Beckett scooted back in the bed a little to make room for RJ, and she felt his hands on her tummy.

'Mumum, bumpy 'till in there?' he mumbled sleepily.

'Yes, but he or she will be here soon.'

'O-kay. I have tea an' cookies wit' Lili.'

'You did?' Beckett was surprised how easy it was to infuse her voice with excitement at her son's story. Then again, havign a baby was hungry work and she was surprised she hadn't begun to hallucinate her visitors were snacks yet, like somethign form Looney Tunes. 'What kind of tea?'

'Lili say it f'om Poh-tah Wee-Co. Where that, Mumum?'

'Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean, my little prince. It's where Lili and Javi's grandparents came from. They speak Spanish there, and have Spanish names too, which is why Javi and Lili speak Spanish.'

'I learn 'Panish fo' my Tah-rini. She say she an' Leo an' Tessi Dana-Wi-can.'

'That's because,' Castle gave a little laugh, 'Meredeth is Danish and they are called Danes sometimes. So Javi is Puerto-Rican and Meredeth is Danish, you put 'em together and you Dane-o-Rican.'

'Oh. What we, Daddy?'

'Well, I'm mostly Irish, and your Mumum is half Irish, half-German.'

'No sherms, Mumum.' RJ patted her arm in reassurance. 'I keep sherms 'way fo' bumpy.'

Beckett cracked up before she could stop herself. 'Not germs, RJ, _German_, as in from the country of Germany. It's where my mother's parents came from.'

'Oh. Mumum, why wig-guh-lin' so mush?'

Castle recognized the signs and set his son to the foot of the bed. 'I'm here, Kate, breathe deeply.'

RJ sat at the end of the bed, fascinated by what he was witnessing - He watched his mother's face so concentrated on breathing deeply, his father's watching her with intensity as he held her hand and told her to breathe. He heard the beeping of the monitors and watched as the funny looking lines squiggled up-down-up-down and then, when the beeping slowed down, the squiggly line became not so squiggly anymore.

'Mumum, what tha' all 'bout?' he asked with such aplomb, Beckett gave him a tired but happy smile.

'That's is how babies are born, honey.'

'Thassa lossa work. Bumpy okay?'

'Oh, bumpy will be just fine, little man. In the mean time, you are going to go with Andrea to stay with Lili, okay?'

'Okay. I see soon?'

'The next time you see me, bumpy will be a real-live baby, RJ,' she told him and watched his sleepy little face light up like a candle.

'Really?'

'Really really. That means Daddy and I are going to be staying in here for awhile, just us with the grown-ups but I know you'll be a big boy for us, right?'

'I Ah-Shay Castle, Mumum.' RJ jabbed his little chest with his thumb. 'I bes' big buh-ro ever.'

'That's my boy.' Beckett pulled him in for a kiss and a hug, and watched him go out of the room with Andrea after Castle had repeated the routine. 'He's such a little jumble right now.'

'I know. Almost as much as me, my love.'

'Right now, to me, you're Batman, Indiana Jones and King Leonidas all rolled into one. And I love you so much.'

Castle smiled at her, kissed her hand. 'I love you too. Now, get that bumpy of ours hanging out.'

The time crawled by some more, yet the cycle of visitors did not abate; the only change was that now Castle did not leave her side for an instant. By eight in the morning, Beckett was at nine centimetres, yet when Harvey did his check, he told her it was not time to push yet, even though they were going to wheel her into the delivery room.

'I'm confused,' Castle told him honestly as they moved over the skywalk, not ashamed to admit he didn't understand. 'We're going to the birthing room, but not to push yet?'

'The baby still hasn't turned enough yet,' Harvey replied, 'so I'll turn the baby by hand and then we'll get her pushing.'


	59. The Rocky Road

_Okay everyone! Here we are! And for those of you who've asked, the year by now, as it is about eight years after s2 is about 2020, but I don't like to get into those labels too much. On to the important stuff! This is the long-awaited birth promised at the beginning of the story! And you will need you hankies for this one, guaranteed. Read, review and share the love!_

* * *

><p>Beckett knew there were times in her life when she'd been more terrified but none were really computing through right now. All she could think was that it was too soon for her to be pushing, she wasn't feeling that same thing she'd felt when she'd been in labour with RJ.<p>

She could smell the sterile hospital soap stench, that was the same, as were the bright lights of the room where she'd been brought to in case she needed to have a 'procedure' done. That was the doctors' bullshit word for 'operation' or 'c-section' or 'episiotomy'. It was bullshit, all of it. She just wanted to bring her baby into the world.

Eyes wheeling and searching, she looked around for Castle and found him wearing scrubs - when had he changed? - standing right beside her, holding her hand.

'Rick, don't leave me, whatever you do,' she all but begged him. 'Please.'

'Never in a million years, Kate,' he replied, then looked up as Andrea stood on the other side of her, gloved and wearing her sterile protection.

'Kate, sweetie, we are going to take care of you, not to worry.'

'Okay, Kate, here is what we are going to do.' Washed, gloved and masked as well, Harvey approached her in his sterile clothes. 'I've going to give you a local numbing agent that will relax your uterine muscles so I can reach in and turn the baby to the right position, okay?'

'Reach in? In where?'

'Through your cervix. You're going to feel pressure there, okay, so I need you to draw in a breath for me, hold it for ten seconds and then let it out.'

'No, doctor, no just do it by c-section,' Beckett pleaded with him.

'Kate, that is a last resort option, and we're not there. On three big deep breath in. Castle you are going to count down from ten for her, okay? One, two, three.'

Beckett nodded, and gulped in air like a diver going under the water's surface, focused her energy on her husband's voice. When she heard him say 'one', she let out the breath and a sharp cry at the huge pressure in her lower half. 'Oh God! God! No!'

'Kate, you are doing just great honey,' Harvey told her, eyes focusing on her dilated cervix. 'The baby is still turned so another deep breath and hold it for ten again. One, two three, go!'

Beckett did her best but with the pressure down there blocking everything out, she only made it seven seconds this time. 'No! God, get it out! Please, Harvey, just get it out!'

'Kate, listen to me, listen to me,' Andrea told her in her gently but authoritative way and clasped her friend's hand to hers. 'I want you to flex each finger of your right hand against mind, okay? Pinky first.'

With tears of terror and fatigue and a whole other jumble of emotions rolling down her cheeks like waterfalls, Beckett tried to do as she was told, made her fingers each flex against Andrea's hand even as she kept her eyes on her husband's. 'Rick, I'm sorry.'

'For what? No, you do not apologize to me, not in this moment, Katherine Louise,' he replied, then look at Harvey. He nearly blacked out when he saw what looked like curved salad tongs prop between his wife's legs but he kept it together for her sake. 'You have nothing to be sorry for.'

'Kate, just a few more seconds and you'll be in great shape. Just wait.

Beckett clenched her eyes shut, then stared at the ceiling as she felt the release of the pressure, only to have it replaced with a different, more familiar sensation. Now she was ready to push and her body told her it was time to bear down.

'Wait, Kate, just wait a moment,' Harvey told her firmly, and moved the retracting forceps out of the way. 'Okay, the baby is turned properly now, it is not in distress, but this will be a hard push because the baby being turned meant that it didn't descend as far as we normally want to see.'

'I want to push,' Kate, bellowed, and using Andrea and Castle for resistance, tried to sit up in the somewhat comfortable position. 'Andrea, Rick, put my feet in the stirrups. I want to push.'

'Rick, Andrea put Kate's feet in the stirrups, but Kate, no pushing,' Harvey told her strictly. 'You need to rest for a few minutes.'

'Kate, you know what you need to do now,' Castle murmured to her, and wasn't surprised when she snapped at him like a rabid terrier.

'Are you fucking kidding me, Castle! Don't you dare!'

'That's alright, Katie, save the good ones for when the baby's crowning,' Andrea told her with a grin. 'That's what I did.'

Harvey glanced up at Beckett's face and he swore on his children's souls he'd never seen a woman more anxious to give birth in his entire career. 'Okay, thirty more seconds and then we can start pushing, Kate.'

The moment her thirty seconds were up, Kate gritted her teeth, leaned forward and pushed with all her might. She squeezed Andrea and Castle's hands as hard as she could and then leaned back when Harvey told her to stop. 'Was that a good one?' she asked meekly.

Her eyes flew open when she heard a voice that wasn't Harvey's respond.

'From this angle, it was a great one.'

'Jenny!'

Honey-Milk smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners above her sterile mask. 'You didn't think I'd sit this one out, did you?'

'What about Mere, and the babies?'

'Everyone's in the waiting room, honey,' Honey-Milk reassured her, then gave Castle a little elbow nudge. 'You get in behind her, support her back. Daniel filled me in on what's happening in the scrub room, and these kinds of births, the mother needs as much back support as she can get.'

'Castle,' was all Beckett said, and Castle toed off his shoes, wedged himself in behind his bride. 'Don't go anywhere.'

'Not a chance, baby.'

With Honey-Milk occupying herself at Beckett's left knee now, Harvey looked at his patient. 'You ready for another push?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Okay, on three, it's time to push it out for another twenty seconds.'

It was, as Harvey had promised, a slow process and a hard push this time around, Castle observed. He watched while Beckett clenched her eyes as every so often the doctor used those scary-looking retractor-tongs but afterward, every time, his wife breathed a little easier. Or rather, as easier as she could being in labour. He knew whatever Harvey was doing would be in the best interest of his baby and his bride.

After what felt like an eternity, Harvey let her rest for a few minutes, and murmured to Honey-Milk and Andrea, both of whom went to different parts of the room. He stood up and looked at Kate as they performed whatever tasks it was he'd requested. 'Kate, you are such an amazing woman, the baby's head is well down the birth canal now. I've asked Adrea to get some medical gel to help lubricate the inside walls of the cervix, and Honey-Milk is getting the weighing station ready now.'

'Does that...does that mean the baby's okay? It'll be here soon?' she asked wearily.

'Yes, and I know you're already tired, but you'll be pushing for at least another thirty minutes.'

'How long has it been now?'

'Almost sixty-three.'

'An _hour_?' Beckett's eyes went wide. 'I've been doing this an hour already?'

'Yes, and this next part will go much more quickly, I can assure you.'

She thumped her head back against her husband's chest. 'No. No, I don't want to.'

'Think of RJ, my love,' Castle murmured to her softly. 'RJ wants to see his bumpy so badly, and so do I.'

'I do too, but...oh, oh God, Harvey, it's coming now, I can feel it!'

'Lady Brick!' Harvey barked and Andrea was there in a flash with the medical gel. He squirted out a generous dollop, eased his fingers around the edges of the birth canal like he was greasing a casserole dish. 'Thank you, now it's that time again, Kate. Ready?'

'Yes, I'm fucking ready, I've been ready for over an hour,' she hollered at him, even as more tears streamed over her face, combined with rivulets of sweat from strain and effort.

'Daniel!' Harvey barked once more and the gentle giant was there in lieu of Honey-Milk to give Beckett resistance if she needed it. 'On three. One, two three.'

'God fucking damn!' Beckett shrieked as she bore down with all her might, slumping back when Harvey told her to stop. 'Is it crowning yet?'

'Almost, I can see the top of the head, it's a fuzzy one like it's brother. You've got a few more seconds to rest then another push.'

'No! Push now!'

'Kate, sweetie,' Castle tried to say, then let out his own yelp - his sweet Katie-Lou, light of his life and the best woman he'd ever met, had head-butted him like a goat.

'Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up you son of a bitch!'

'That's the way, Kate,' Andrea encouraged her, 'let it out.'

'The head's out,' Harvey told her, using a suction bulb to clear fluid from the baby's nostrils. 'One more push and you've got a baby.'

'One more, Kate, just one more big one,' Castle said, wiggling his nose to make sure it wasn't broken.

With her eyes all but glued shut in effort, Beckett kicked her heels against the stirrups and pushed mightily one more time. Amidst her own yell of effort, her husband and her friend's encouraging words, she heard it - the thin, irritated cry of new life.

Their baby was finally here.

'Oh my God, Kate!' Castle broke into eleated sobs as he saw the baby in Harvey's careful cradle. 'Oh, my God, we have another beautiful baby!'

'What is it?' Beckett sobbed, completely winded as she collapsed against her husband one final time.

'Congratulations, you guys,' Harvey told them, 'you've got another beautiful red-headed daughter.'


	60. The Aftermath: 18 Minutes Old

'A girl!'

'Yeah, baby, it's a girl!'

Castle wrapped his arms around his wife, and rocked her side to side gently as they watched Harvey wiped the most of the birthing fluid off of her. She did indeed have dark red hair, not the same as Alexis' or Martha's, but a deeper auburn colour, and a tonne of it - she looked like a little Troll doll with a brush-cut. Her arms and legs were wriggling madly as Harvey wrapped her in a blanket, held the clamped scissors out to Castle.

'The honour's yours, Daddy.'

Castle made the snip and just continued to sob as Beckett held out her arms for the baby. 'My beautiful girls,' he told them, 'now I have a trio of goddesses.'

'Oh, Castle, she's beautiful, and...and she looks just like my mother,' Beckett cried as the baby wailed away. 'She suits her name perfectly.'

'You already have a name?' Andrea asked in a water voice, tears dripping behind her sterile mask.

'Yeah, this is Johanna Louisa Castle.'

'Oh, Katie.' Honey-Milk ripped off her gloves and her mask, and reached for a towel to bury her face in. 'Oh, sweetie, that is just perfect.'

'Nurse Ryan, do you need a moment?' Harvey asked with a chuckle.

'Yes, yes, I do. Excuse me.'

Honey-Milk disappeared to the scrub-room, which had Andrea reaching for the baby. 'Okay, little miss Johanna, we are going to get you tidied up, and get ou some wicked pjs, and then back to your mommy and daddy.'

'It's Mumum in our family Andrea,' Castle told her, using his sleeve to wipe his eyes.

'Okay, mumum and daddy it is.'

'Kate, we still need to deliver the afterbirth,' Harvey reminded her, and Beckett nodded with a watery smile.

'Alright. Johanna, you go to your daddy and Auntie Andrea, they are going to be right there, sweetie-pie.'

Andrea accepted the newborn as Beckett passed her off and took her over to the weighing station Honey-Milk had set up. 'Okay, Johanna Louisa, what a beautiful name for you my dove. Just wonderful, oh yes I know that's cold and nasty, isn't it?' she crooned as she put the wailing baby on the scale. 'Okay, not to fret my little one, we'll get you back to Mumum where it's nice and warm soon.'

Castle watched as his little girl was weighed and measured - a healthy seven pounds, thirteen ounces, and eighteen-point-two inches long - and felt a surge of pride in his voice. 'You are the best pot of gold I could ever think, Johanna,' he murmured to her, and his heart melted when she blinked dark eyes at him, the same colour as her mother's.

'Pot of gold?' Andrea asked as she wiped the little girl down in her first sponge bath to cleanse away the lingering birthing fluids.

'We determined that this little bit of joy was conceived on Saint Patty's Day.'

'So that would make her right on time, maybe even a little bit overdue,' Andrea decided, then shrugged. 'Ah, well, babies do their own thing in their time. I thought everyone was being so overprotective and overreactive when I was in labour with Nessa but it turned out the joke was on me.'

'Okay, I've got it together now,' Honey-Milk announced as she came back over with fresh gloves but no mask now that the baby was born. 'Where am I needed?'

'Over with Harvey, with the afterbirth,' Andrea told her, smiling as Daniel walked up. 'Here's Uncle Daniel too, Johanna. He may look scary but he's a big teddy bear, aren't you?'

'That's right I am. Castle, might I have a quick word with you?'

'Sure.'

Daniel took him to a quieter spot of the room. 'Because it was such a hard birth, Harvey's asked me to consult with you first if you think that Beckett will need a sedative to get some rest.'

'Yes,' he replied without hesitation. 'I love my wife, but she will need the help. Not to get to sleep, to stay asleep. Our son and oldest daughter are going to want to see her first though, and the baby if possible.'

'The baby will be Harvey's determination, but as the anesthetist to this patient, I can tell you that it is probably a wise idea to tell them both mother and daughter are having a much-needed nap.'

Castle looked over to his wife, where Harvey was cleaning her up. 'Agreed. Besides, I know she won't want to miss RJ seeing his bumpy for the first time.'

'Okay then. I think my wife's ready for you once more.'

'Here we are, Daddy,' Andrea said proudly, passing him Johanna wrapped in a yellow blanket with number 12's in navy blue dancing all over it, and a little toque to match it. 'Time to go see your mumum, Johanna.'

'That's right, come here my little bumpy,' Beckett said, though she could feel exhaustion seeping in like water into the Titanic. Cradling the baby in her arms, she sighed in pure contentment for her hard work. 'Look at that, Richard, we made another one. Now we have two beautiful daughters.'

'Damn right we do.'

'No swearing around the baby,' she admonished him sweetly, her eyes never leaving the baby's as Johanna gurgled away. 'Rick?'

'Yes, my love.'

'Think we can ask Daniel for a little snoozey-pill for me? I want to hold onto my baby but I'm so tired.'

'Actually, Kate, that was the plan anyways,' Harvey told her, 'and Johanna's going up to the nursery with Andrea for an hour or so just to make sure there are no complications from the birth.'

'Okay, but Castle you promise me something.'

'Anything, sweetheart.'

'No one sees her until RJ and Lex do, and they don't get to see her until I am in the room awake. I don't want to miss that moment.'

'Consider it done.'

Castle took Johanna in his arms as Daniel came over, removed Beckett's epidural line and pushed the sedative dose into her IV line. 'Okay, time to go bowling with the Dude and Kenny Rogers.'

'Whee, that'll be fun,' Beckett giggled in the way she did when she was severely overtired. 'I'll see my babies in a few.'

'Go to sleep, mumum,' Castle laughed, then looked down at Johanna who was studying him with her little sea goddess-in-training eyes. She blinked a little bit at him, then gave a little sneeze which had her face crumpling up. 'Oh, sweetheart, it's okay, it's okay, nothing to be scared of, Daddy's here.'

'I'm so sorry Castle, but we have to put her in the bassinet to take her to the nursery. Hospital policy,' Andrea told him with a little pout. 'Come on, Johanna, Daddy will be up in a few, but not to worry you won't be alone where your going. Your neighbour is a wonderful little girl named Felicity and she's been aching for some company.'

Castle watched as Beckett was wheeled out with Daniel, then Johanna with Andrea. Alone in the room with Harvey and Honey-Milk, he let out a shuddering breath as the rest of the tears he knew were still left inside came pouring out of him. He felt his friend's arms come around his waist and she crumbled with him.

'Oh, man, you are a mess with me, aren't you Jenny,' he laughed, swiping his knuckles under his eyes.

'Uh-huh. I remember the look on Kevin's face when he came home and said that old wound had been ripped open once more. When I first met her, I never thought...and now she's come so far, and...oh, her mother would love this, wouldn't she?'

'Absolutely. I never met her either, but based on what I learned from Jim, I know that the original Johanna wouldn't want us to stand around sopping wet like this. Besides, we have a whole family to inform that there's a new sheriff in town.'

'Then let's saddle up,' Honey-Milk giggled.

Castle waited while she disposed of her gloves and made sure she didn't look like she'd been weeping tears of grief, then somehow found the self-control to walk over the skywalk to the lounge, where sure enough, everyone was crowded in - the Espositos, the Ryan, the Parrish-Robbinses, the Mazzaras, the George-Espositos. He looked around and his eyes immediately zoomed in on his son, sitting in his big sister's lap and listening to her read a story.

Shane saw him first, and gave Alexis a little nudge, which had her and RJ looking up.

'Daddy!' he crowed triumphantly. He flew out of Alexis' hold and threw his arms around his father. 'You here! Tha' mean I a big buh-ro, an' Alessis a big sisser 'gain, righ'?'

'That's right, my little prince,' Castle replied scooping his boy up and looking around at all the shining, expectant faces, then speaking directly to RJ once more. 'You wanna guess if you've got a little bro or a little sister?'

'I guess bumpy a gil, Daddy!'

'Well, you're right!'

RJ's eyes went round as little blue marbles. 'I righ'? I have a big sisser _an'_ a lit-tle sisser now?'

'You betcha.'

'Yea!'


	61. The Family Reunion: 74 Minutes Old

'Daddy, I wanna see baby,' RJ told his father when the clamber of cheers and hugs and hearty slaps for Castle had died down. 'She lit-tle, she nee' me-a po-tec' her.'

'I know, RJ, but Mumum said no one gets to see her until she's awake so she doesn't miss out on getting to see her babies with the new one all at the same time. She wants it to be our first family moment.'

'Oh, tha' fair, Daddy. We no' leave Mumum ou'.'

'What does my new little sister look like?' Alexis asked eagerly.

'She's beautiful Lex, she's a redhead like you, but different,' he reassured her quickly when he saw a little light flash in her eyes. 'Like a deep auburn colour, and she's got your mother's eyes, not blue ones.'

'Dad, it's okay, you don't have to feel like I'm thinking I'll be replaced or something.'

'No-one 'pace Alessis!' RJ looked horrified and gave his big sister a squeezing hug around her legs. 'She the bes', righ' Shane?'

'On that you and I agreed one hundred percent,' Shane concurred, 'but I think Alexis was thinking more about the baby we lost.'

'Oh, Lexy, honey. Come here.'

Castle pulled his girl in for a hug, stroked her hair. 'You are going to be an excellent mother when it's the right time, we all know that.'

'I do too, Dad.' She swiped her fingertips under her eyes and sighed. 'Alright, let's go and see if Mom's awake, right RJ?'

'She'll be out for about another hour or so, I think, so how about if you guys take me to get a shower? I could definitely use it and a change of clothes.'

'Of course Dad.'

'But wha' 'bout bumpy?' RJ asked, a little worried already. 'Where she now? She okay?'

'Oh, I'm already praying for that girl,' Shane laughed. 'She's never going to get a date in her life.'

* * *

><p>The first thing Beckett felt when woke in her hospital bed was the dry mouth thanks to her sleep-aid. It was as though she'd sucked on a fresh roll of paper towels while she'd been sleeping, she thought, and looking around for some water or some ice chips to crunch, she saw Johanna in the little bassinet beside her bed and on its other side was Andrea, writing in one of her patients' charts. And glory be, she thought happily, there was a half-drunk bottle of Diet Pepsi on the rolling-foot table she was writing on.<p>

'Andrea, I will give you a thousand dollars for a swig of that Pepsi,' she told her friend sleepily.

'Hey, look who's up, mama!' Andrea flipped the chart closed, set it aside in favour of pulling her own chair closer to the bed, and handing over the bottle. 'Chug away, just remember you've had medication and you haven't eaten in nearly eighteen hours.'

'I know, I know.' The sweet foamy zip of bubbles hit Beckett's tongue and she nearly cried. 'Oh, have you seen my dad and Agnes yet?'

'Sorry, honey, no word yet. I'm sure they are okay, the weather on the west coast last night was ferocious from what Mom told me.'

'Guess this kinda, like, makes us sisters in a weird little way, huh?'

'Guess it does. That means that's Nessa's new little cousin sleeping away there.'

'Has she been here long?'

Andrea shook her head. 'I brought her in with me about twenty minutes ago.'

'Nice.' Beckett shift, felt the twinge of pain between her legs. 'Man, RJ was a picnic in Central Park compared to this little beauty queen.'

The noise caused Johanna to stir, so Beckett put a hand to her tummy lightly and the baby quieted once more. 'Oh, God, Andrea. I wish my mother could see this.'

'I understand that very well, sweetie. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about Nessa never meeting my dad. And I'm sure Meredeth thinks the same thing every so often about her mother and her grandmother.'

'Yeah, there's a woman who's definitely no sissy,' Beckett chuckled.

'Neither are you.'

'Oh, Andrea-'

'No, it's true. I don't know of many women who would be able to name their baby girl after their murdered mother when the case was still unsolved.'

'It won't be for long, will it Johanna?' Beckett addressed the baby, and watched her blink open her eyes as she creaked and cooed. 'Hey, there boo-boo, it's Mumum, how are you my little cutie?'

There was a knock on the door before it was shoved open and Beckett's heart welled up with excitement when she saw it was her family - Castle and Shane, RJ and Alexis, each one looking on in anticipation. 'Hi guys! You're just in time! She just woke up!'

'Oh, Mom!' Alexis pressed a hand to her mouth as tears welled up. She moved closer and looked at the baby who was looking around with dark eyes just like Beckett's. 'She's just so gorgeous! No mistaking she's your baby!'

'Mumum, may I see puh-lease?' RJ asked, wandering closer but cautiously. Now that his bumpy was here, it was a brand new day and he knew he had a job to do - he was going to be the best big brother ever.

'Of course.' Turning on her side Beckett patted the space for him sit and see his new little sister. 'She was born at...what was the official time, Rick?'

'Nine-forty-one am. Almost two hours of pushing,' he added to Shane and Alexis.

'Wow,' Shane replied, scratching his neck. 'That's so brave, Kate.'

'Thanks, Shane.'

'What's her name?'

'This,' Castle said, scooping up the baby so he could pass her to her mother without disturbing the entrenched RJ, 'is Johanna Louisa Castle.'

'Mom, that's beautiful,' Alexis sighed, tears still dripping out.

'What do you think RJ?' Beckett asked her son, who had been unusually quiet. When she looked at him, she gave a little laugh - the boy was absolutely enraptured by the sight of his little sister.

'Oh, Mumum, my Sho-Sho jus' piff-eck!'

'Why do you want to call her Jojo, little bro?' Alexis asked, always intrigued by the youngster's logic.

'Ah-cause, Alessis, she too lit-tle now fo' Sho-ana. Thassa big name, she 'till way lit-tle.'

'Okay,' Beckett said, passing the baby back to Castle and trying to keep her happy tears at a graceful weep and not a full-out basketcase blubber. 'Then we'll call her Jojo.'

'Mom, can I hold her?' Alexis asked in a wobbling voice, and felt her heart swell when she had the infant in her arms, fussing about softly as she tried to get used to the new person holding her. 'Hey, Jojo, it's your big sister. I'm the one you can and talk to when Mom and Dad and our brother are driving you crazy. Considering how protective RJ is of you already, I'll pencil you in for next Friday, okay?'

Jojo gave a soft sigh, pursed her little flower-petal lips up. 'Okay, it's a date. You bring the wine, I've got the chocolate.'

'No, Alessis, Sho-Sho nee' milk f'om Mumum! She too lit-tle!' RJ declared in a little panic.

'I have a feeling 'she's too little' is what you should have stamped on Jojo's door at home,' Shane commented. 'You okay, Lex?'

'Oh, yeah, I know this could never look like our baby. Hair's the wrong colour and so are the eyes.'

'There you go,' Castle said with a small wave of his hand, then looked at RJ who was sitting down now beside Alexis, as she'd perched on teh foot of the bed with the baby. 'RJ, you want a turn holding her?'

'I 'cared to, Daddy, I migh' hur' her.'

'You won't hurt her, RJ.' Beckett shifted a little, sat up to help him. 'Here, cross your legs like you're on the beach, right? Now, hold your hand here, and leave this arm free.'

Alexis twisted towards RJ and gently put Jojo in their brother's arms, repositioned his free arm. 'There you are, that's right RJ, you're a natural at this,' she encouraged him.

'Hi-hi, Sho-Sho, I Ah-Shay, 'memer me? I talk-a you lossa.'

'I think she does,' Castle told him, watching how Jojo blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the voice. 'Keep talking to her, RJ.'

'We gonna have lossa fun. We gonna make cookies, we gonna wash 'toons, I learn-a read you books. You wanna song now? I sing you a song.'

They all watched, totally captivated as RJ began to hum a little bit and then began to sing _Under the Sea_ from _The Little Mermaid._

'Sea-wee' is al'ays geen'ah in some'ody el-sah lake. You deem-a goin' uppa, but...oh I no' know it all,' he pouted a little, then saw how Jojo was just staring at him with her dark, focused eyes. 'You like Ah-Shay singin' , Sho-Sho?'

Jojo responded by wrinkling her nose up and puckering up her little lips once more, which had Beckett stroking her fingertip down the baby's cheeks.

'Check that out, RJ, she's smiling at you!'


	62. The Grandparent Visit

Had it not been for the arrival of Jim and Agnes, Beckett would have lost all sense of time for the day. When they arrived, bringing Martha into the room with them, they had damp coats on and anxious expressions as they saw Shane, Alexis and RJ were in with the new-again parents and the littlest Castle.

'Oh, Katie-Lou, I am so sorry we weren't here,' Jim said in a stage whisper as he gave his daughter a hug. 'FAA grounded all outgoing flights, we didn't even leave San-Fran until nearly five.'

'Poor Jim was going to eat the stewardess alive, I thought,' Agnes added with a sympathetic pat on Jim's arm. 'But it's just past twelve, and that means if you've got the all clear, I'll go and pick up something to eat. Kate, what would you like?'

'I would love a turkey club sandwich from Gennaro's,' Beckett replied almost reverently.

'Milk, Mumum,' RJ insisted, 'You 'till need milk so Sho-Sho no' hun-guh-ry.'

'Do I?'

'Uh-huh, tha' how babies ge' milk f'om bubbies.'

'Not quite, little bro,' Shane chuckled. 'Part of having the baby means that your mumum can make her own milk from her...glands,' he said, realizing he didn't want to discuss Beckett's breasts with a three-year-old, even if was her son and had nursed himself on those very things. 'You'll understand better once Jojo and your mom are home.'

'Jojo?' Jim asked, and Beckett felt slightly slimy.

'Oh my god, I'm such an idiot! This is your granddaughter, Johanna Louisa Castle.'

'We say 'Sho-sho' ah-cause she too lit-tle fo' Sho-anna,' RJ explained to his grandfather, then turned to Alexis. 'Alessis, I feelin' suh-nacky, we go fin' lunsh?'

'Sure. Shane why don't you come with too?'

Shane nodded, headed out with them while Jim, Agnes and Martha all sat down around the bed. All three looked at the baby with such love it was a wonder they didn't all choke on it, Beckett thought. 'Look what I made, Daddy,' she told him in a sweet girlish voice.

'She's beautiful, Katie-Lou,' he said gruffly, dipping into his pocket for his handkerchief and dabbing at his eyes. 'Just gorgeous. She looks like your mother did when she was a baby.'

'That's what I thought too. Except the hair, that's all Rick's side of the family.'

'Can I hold her?' Martha asked, stretching out cautious arms, and Beckett passed Jojo over to her grandmother. 'Hello there, little miss drama queen, yes I heard all about what your mama got put through in the night. I hope you know that means she gets doxens of roses and chocolate and jewelery on her birthday and Mother's Day.'

'You've already got some wicked fashion sense going on,' Agnes added, leaning over to give the twelves blankie a little tug. 'Where'd you get these awesome threads, little girl?'

'That is a Honey-Milk tradition, right since her son was born. All the little boys get blue with yellow twelves and the girls get yellow with blue twelves.'

'Here, Jim, have a hold.' Martha passed the quietly cooing baby over to the proud grandfather and he gave her a wide smile.

'Hello beautiful, yes you are the most beautiful baby ever, and you've got quite the legacy of a name to live up to, you know. Not just Johanna but the Castle one too.' As Jim's head was bent to talk to Jojo, he missed the look that passed between his daughter and son-in-law. 'Between a best selling author and a top notch detective for your parents, you've got a big sister whose going to be the best doctor ever and your brother, well, he's just about ready to burst his buttons with pride. That's quite a family to be born into.'

'Sure is,' Agnes agreed, using Jim's handkerchief. 'Kate, Rick, can I-'

'Of course,' Castle interrupted her.

Beckett watched her father pass the baby over to Agnes, watched the way they kept their heads close together for a moment as they admired the little one and she let out a shuddering breath. Agnes' head snapped up and to Beckett's shame, her eyes filled with tears.

'I'm sorry, Kate, it's okay, I don't have to,' she started, but Beckett shook her head.

'No, no, it's just the afterbirth hormones. Damn things are making loopy. A few minutes before you guys got here, I burst into tears because I got to take a leak in a real toilet, not a catheter.'

'Are you sure?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Okay. Hear that, Jojo, your mumum is just fine. Better than fine because she's got the two most beautiful babies in the world, and one of those is you.'

'Three, Agnes, Kate's a mother of three,' Jim corrected her, thinking of how hurt Alexis had been when he'd excluded her from his family. 'Alexis is hers as much as this one is, right Jojo? You even have matching hair.'

'Hey, Castle, why don't you take Jojo and these lovely ladies down to the lounge for a visit, I'm sure everyone is anxious to see her?' Beckett suggested. 'I want some time alone with my dad for a moment.'

'Of course, Kate, whatever you need sweetie.'

Beckett waited until they'd gone, then shifted in her bed to swing her legs out to the floor. The effects of her epidural were nearly gone and she needed to move around more. 'Daddy, my shoes there?'

'Right.' Jim passed Beckett her gel-soled flippy-flops and watched her tug her hydrating IV line around with her. 'So what do you want to tell me in private, Katherine?'

'I'm looking into Mom's case again, Dad. It's different this time around,' she added hastily when she saw the happy new-baby light die from his eyes. 'I crossed paths with a cop whose father was the first on scene that night. Not Raglan the guy who called it in to Raglan. A guy named Brennan.'

'I remember Raglan mentioning that name.'

'Dad, he could tell something was off with Brennan so he copped Mom's phone and held onto it. And his son got his head bashed for helping me but Dad...I got Mom's phone back.'

'Her phone?'

'Her cellphone, the one I'd given her that sparkle-stones case for at Christmas, you remember?'

Jim took a deep, sighing breath, looked at his daughter. 'And you're going to look into the phone records, see if she received a call that lured her out to that horrible place she was found, right?'

'That's right, but not yet. I need to be steadier, I need to be sure before I take any moves beyond research that the people I go after are the right ones. I can't stand to lose on her case anymore, and...' Beckett looked at her feet, up at his face once more. 'I have family now that I love, that I have helping me. I'm not alone in my mission for her anymore Dad, and more, I'm not going to drown in it because of them. I will be able to make it, even if I don't get all my answers right away.'

'That's my girl,' Jim said, letting his tears come now that it was just the two of them. 'I'm so proud of you Kate, not just with the baby today, but everything you've done in the last little while. You've become a balanced, happy woman, something I was so scared wouldn't happen for you. But what you've got is more than I ever dreamed of.'

'Oh, Daddy.' Beckett pressed her hand to her mouth and cried a little, went over to him and gave him a tight hug. 'I love you so much.'

'I love you too. Now, do you have some underpants on?'

'Dad!'

'I was thinking, I might commandeer a wheelchair and take you down to the lounge, and you might not want to be born free, as it were.'

'Ah, gotcha. In that case, yes I was allowed to put on some underpants after Harvey gave me a little checkup. But I'm not wandering around all postpartum without an extra layer.' Beckett looked around, tugging her IV along with her as she went to the suite's closet where she found her bathrobe. Wrapping it around her, she shuffled back to him and held out her hand. 'Come on, Poppy Jim, let's go find the hoarde.'

Jim took her hand and looped her arm through his, as a quick glance up and down the hallway revealed no free wheelchairs. He helped her steady her balance as they made the trek down to the lounge where they found all the same players from the night before, only now with the addition of an almost-there-pregnant Meredeth accepting the baby from Lanie and Lili into her arms.

'Hey mama!' she greeted her friend with a smile. 'You're looking good for three hours post-baby.'

'Hi Katie!' Tessi waved brightly then went back to looking at the baby as she sat beside Dell. 'She is so pretty, dontcha think?'

'Uh-huh,' Dell agreed, then gave Tessi a little smile. 'But not as pretty as you, Tessi.'

'You hear that, Jojo,' Meredeth told the baby who was awake and cooing like a little dove, 'that's the sound of a boy flirting with a girl, and you will never know that thanks to your big brother.'


	63. The AllGirls Night

'Mumum, why can' I 'tay wit' my Sho-sho?'

'Because you are getting to have a big-boys night with Daddy and Javi and Kevin, and everyone.'

'Oh. Can I do bot', puh-lease?'

'RJ,' Beckett told her son firmly but nicely as she tickled Jojo's feet while the baby lay on her back on the bed, 'tonight, you get to have all your friends say congratulations on your new little sister, and I get to have a night with my friends.'

'Ohhhhh,' RJ nodded sagely. 'I see. It a gils-onah-ly nigh', Mumum?'

'Exactly.'

'I unner-tan'.' He leaned over wrinkled his nose in a cutesy-smile at Jojo. 'Sho-sho's firs' gils-onah-ly nigh'. Thassa big 'tep, Sho-sho!'

Jojo looked at her brother and gave a little shudder which was followed up a humongous sneeze. She looked stunned for a few minutes, then started to cry and fuss which had RJ freaking right out.

'It okay, Sho-sho! No tears, it okay, Ah-Shay here! It jus' a suh-neeze! Here you wan' Misser Wig-gles?'

RJ reached over for the cute stuffed caterpillar in Jojo's bassinet and tried to hold it up in her line of vision. 'Mumum, why she so 'faid?'

'It's okay, RJ,' Beckett chuckled, impressed with her son's strong instinct to protect his sister from anything, even if it was her own body. 'Besides, I think she's hungry.'

'A-_gain_?'

'Little tummies digest things quicker than you and me,' she explained to him as she sat back with the nursing pillow on her lap, then looked around. 'RJ, can you pass me that blanket with the bugs on it?'

'Yes, Mumum! I geddit, I geddit!'

'Thanks, my little prince.'

Beckett took the nursing blanket he waved like a banner of war in triumph and draped in over herself so her breast was covered as she got Jojo to latch on and nurse while she still talked to RJ. 'There we go, RJ, Jojo's having her snack.'

'Mumum?'

'Yes, RJ.'

'How I give Sho-sho a bot-tle if she ge' milk f'om bubbies?'

Beckett gave a little laugh. 'That's the magic and mystery of being the mumum, RJ, some things aren't for the boys to know about.'

'Tha' no' fair. Daddy,' RJ complained to his father as Castle emerged from the suite's bathroom, 'Mumum no' puh-layin' nice.'

'Oh? What's big bad Mumum doing?'

'She no' say how I give Sho-sho a bot-tle.'

'Ah, well, that's a little bit of a girl secret, like how they can spend an hour in the bathroom getting ready for a night out and they're just as beautiful coming out as they were going in,' Castle told his boy, and RJ threw out his lower lip in a mighty pout.

'Why gils so co'fusin' Daddy?'

'If you can answer that question, my little prince, you will be a saint amongst men. But in the here and now, it's time for cards and beer and juice-boxes at home.'

'Boys onah-ly, righ'?'

'That's right,' Castle nodded, understanding how torn his boy was between being one of the big boys and staying with his new little sister.

'Maybe...maybe me an' my fuh-riends all make a card fo' Sho-sho?'

'Great idea, but they're expecting us at home soon, so we have to give Mumum and Jojo a kiss.'

'Okay, Daddy.' RJ watched the blanket over his mother's body. 'Mumum, she 'till suh-nackin'?'

'Yes, she is.'

Hmm.' Ever industrious, RJ leaned over and putting a kiss on his fingertips, put them on Jojo's little leg. 'See you soon, Sho-sho, I be back fo' beddie-byes.'

Neither Castle nor Beckett had the heart to try and tell him that he would be staying the night with Alexis and Shane at their apartment so that Beckett could get some proper rest, or at least get herself on the baby schedule since her body clock was so screwed up from the birth. But maybe they would be saved that headache and Shane would deliver the news himself. Either way, Castle helped RJ to the floor and helped him put on his outdoor clothes along with his own winter gear, then gave Beckett a kiss. 'I love you Kate.'

'I love you too, Rick. Now go win some money for Jojo's social fund!'

'It's in the bag.'

'See-soon, Sho-sho!' RJ added, always needed to have the last word.

Beckett waved at them and when they were gone, she switched Jojo to her other breast, and since they were on their own for a moment, removed her nursing blanket so she could watch her little girl have her supper. Those beautiful eyes, just like the original Johanna Beckett's, were wide and focused as she suckled, full of hope as if she were making sure she was doing things correctly.

'That's my good girl, drink up, we want you to be nice and strong to keep up with your brother, don't we? Yes we do,' she cooed at her baby.

Just as Beckett adjusted her top so she was covered once more and she had Jojo on her shoulder to burp her, the door opened and she saw Lili, Lanie and Meredeth stick their heads around the door like a cheesy seventies sitcom. 'You decent in here?'

'Never, but I am covered up and Jojo's ready for a burp.'

'Good, because either way, I gotta pee,' Meredeth laughed on a rush and made a beeline for the bathroom while Lili and Lanie ducked out momentarily and came back in with Tessi, Trini, Violet and Rosie.

'Okay, ladies,' Lili said, using her Sunday-school teacher's voice, 'remember what we talked about?'

'We know _tia_ Lili,' Tessi told her impatiently, the little gift bag swinging easily in her hand. 'We can't be loud be-c..cause Jojo is too little, and we can't bump her either.'

'She suh-kishy!' Trini added as she looked around. 'Where my Ah-Shay?'

'RJ went with our brothers to the boys night, remember Trini?' Rosie reminded her little cousin with a shake of her head, then headed over to see Beckett and the baby while her cousins had . 'She is so crazy about boys, Katie, what will we do with her?'

'Love her for who she is,' Beckett replied as the little girl set down a bright pink and yellow gift bag on the table and rocked back and forth on her feet. Her cousins perched themselves on the foot of the bed, also clutching their own little packages wrapped in colourful paper.

'Hello again, Jojo, do you remember me?' Rosie asked in a sweet, slightly shy voice. 'I'm Rosie George-Esposito, I am one of your many many cousins. My mami said that even though we aren't blood relatives that doesn't matter since we love you like our sister.'

'Very well said, Rosita,' Lili told her little girl, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside Beckett. 'We have our family that we made and it is a big happy one, isn't it?'

'Yes ma'am!'

'Mama, can I hold the baby?' Violet asked in a small voice, unsure of how loud it was okay to be around someone so new.

'You'll have to ask Katie, sweetie, that's the lady in charge,' Lanie replied, nestling herself between Trini and Tessi so Meredeth, freshly emerged from the bathroom, could have the comfy armchair for her pregnant behind. 'Man, any chance you're going to drop your short today too, Mere?'

'No, I've still got another month to go,' Meredeth sighed contentedly. 'But that's not what tonight is about.'

'What is tonight about?'

'Girlie time for the mama and baby, of course,' Lili replied in her best Spanish-Harlem 'duh' voice. 'Not all the fun belongs to the boys with their cigars and beer and talking about boobies and sports cars.'

'_Tia _Lili, no bad words!' Tessi's eyes went wide and she clamped her hands over Trini's ears, the latter shaking off her big sister like a dog with ticks. 'We are little ladies!'

'My apologies, Tessi.' She checked her watch and glanced at the door. 'They should be here by now.'

'Who?' Beckett asked as she continued to tap Jojo's back rhythmically to work out the bubbles. 'C'mon Jojo, I know you can let it rip sweetie-pie.'

There was a knock on the door and a snooty sounding voice declaring 'room service!' from the other side. Beckett looked at the rest of her girls, big and small, who were all grinning like fools. 'What did you guys do?'

'Fun things, Katie!' Trini declared, clapping her hands, then hollered, 'Come in!'

The door opened and Beckett let out a happy laugh that startled a burp out of Jojo - it was Honey-Milk, Mallory, Robina and Kelley, and they were bringing in what appeared to be a snack trolley loaded with cold-bins.

'Happy bur-day, Jojo!' Mallory squeaked in glee.

'We figured this little one needs a birthday party to start the new year right, so...' Robina waved her hand with a floruish over the cart. 'A few greased wheels, a little bit of my baby pool winnings and voila! Nothing says girls' night like hot fudge sundaes!'


	64. The Stubborn Ones

While the girls has their own little ice cream party in the maternity suite, in the SoHo loft, the gents had gathered for cards and drinks, all of them - the under-age crowd had their own table and were playing Go-Fish, Crazy Eights and Go Boom while the big boys played Texas Hold'Em. There was equal cries of joy and frustration from both tables as they games progressed, but no one could hold a candle to the good luck streak Castle had going with his poker hands.

'Man, you just have the hot seat tonight,' Shane complained, tossing his useless three of clubs and four of diamonds onto the table. 'Why can't I win just one hand?'

'At least it isn't Cam complaining,' Esposito chuckled. 'For all his bad-assery as a soldier, he's a total bitch about cards.'

'Where is he?' Castle asked. 'And Daniel, come to that?'

'Both are working, and both texted me, they wish they could be here to play.'

'Good, two less people to take my money,' Shane groused.

'You know how you'll win, right?' Dave teased him, noting how even the question made a vein in Castle's temple pulsate.

'No?' he replied questioningly, feeling like he should know better.

'Knock your wife up and when she's close to her due date or she is having a girl-and-baby night like Beckett and Jojo are tonight, you'll rake in the cash at cards,' Ryan told him.

Shane blushed a little. 'How about we get married first?'

'I didn't,' Dave pointed out while shuffling the cards, 'but then again, Lanie's already a doctor. Alexis has what, a year and a half to go?'

'When we officially say our vows, yep, she'll be half way through year three. And she will be Alexis Harper Weaver. Not Weaver-Castle, not Castle-Weaver. She is going old school, and it'll be easier with her doing it before getting her official license, easier to fill out paper work saying she has a maiden name than

'Aw, Alexis with a maiden name,' Gil chuckled as he drained his beer, then looked at Castle. 'And then you'll go through all those girl-firsts again with Jojo.'

'My daughter isn't even twelve hours old, let's not marry her off yet.'

'I know it's all about Castle being a new daddy tonight,' Esposito pointed out, getting up to get himself and Gil fresh beers, 'but I wanna hear more about Shane's wedding plans.'

'Oh, please, I will be covered in daddy plenty, boys,' Castle reassured them. 'This is about being manly men tonight.'

'What is your colour palette?' Ryan inquired, making Dave and Gil chuckle.

'What was that about being manly men?'

'Well, we could talk about the bachelor party but since a, that's always a surprise and b, that would involve Shane sharing dirty details that would give Castle an aneurysm,' Ryan pointed out, 'we'll go to the other end of the spectrum.'

'Thank you Kevin,' Castle replied earnestly.

'Besides, if it's another wedding besides Alexis' you're worried about,' Esposito filled in, 'you should be concerned about your son having designs on my daughter.'

'Dave, the cards, deal'em for the love of Christ.'

'I heard mumblings from Trini too about want another tea and cookies time with RJ,' he went on, having fun egging his friend.

'I am not hearing this.'

Thankfully, before Castle's head really did implode, his son and the new big brother came wandering over. Though his sleep was probably as screwed up as his father's, the toddler was still bright and alert as he always was.

'Daddy,' he asked in his charming I-want-something voice, stretching his arms up for a lift into his father's lap. He amped up his smile when Castle set him on his lap. 'When it time-a go back to ho'pital, see Mumum an' Sho-sho?'

'Not for awhile yet, buddy,' Shane told him, 'but guess what?'

'What?'

'Tonight, you get to have a sleepover at mine and Alexis' house.'

'No, t'anks, Shane it okay. I goin'a see Mumum an' Sho-sho,' RJ politely declined, making the other men around the table turn their laughs into coughs, some more successfully than others.

'RJ, you know, Mumum and Jojo are going to be very tired tonight and Jojo needs her sleep,' Dave pointed out. 'Don't you think it's a good idea to let them get some rest?'

'I gotta be there. I po-tec' my Sho-sho.'

'I'm sure you do,' Gil added, thinking of how the boy's stubbornness was just like TJ's when Kelley was first born. 'But you also need to listen to the doctors, right? They want what's best for your mama and sister.'

'Dotta Hah-vee a goo' dotta, but I Ah-Shay, I big buh-ro. My Sho-sho nee' her big buh-ro.'

'Not saying she doesn't,' Ryan agreed with a shake of his head. 'However, you know that part of the big-bro code is knowing when to step back and listen to the even bigger bro, right?'

RJ narrowed his eyes, set his little jaw. 'I 'pose.'

'Right, so you need to listen to us, especially your daddy. We're not saying it to keep you away from Jojo, we're telling you that the best way to help sometimes is to give the ones you love a chance to relax.'

'Daddy?'

'RJ, I know you want to see your sister tonight,' Castle told his son, his own patience straining as much as RJ's, 'but the truth is she and Mumum need to sleep. Jojo's very little, it takes all her energy just to eat and poop, and open her eyes to see what's going on, you know?'

'She nee' milk, be big and suh-tong like me.'

'Exactly, and the best way for that to happen is for you to let her rest up so she has lots of energy to have her supper and get big and strong.'

'She an' Mumum 'till love me?' he asked, poking his finger at the green felt of the poker table.

'Of course they do. Come here.'

Castle shoved back from the table, and stood up with his son; as the other men around the table were all fathers with the exception of Shane he knew they would understand. When he'd taken his son over to the living room for a little privacy, he sat back down again and looked his son in the eye.

'There is no question of whether or not your mother, or Jojo, loves you. Ever. Same with me and Alexis and Shane, and Poppy Jim and Grams. This is about you being the big boy I know you are. I know you're so excited,' Castle continued in an impassioned voice, 'but I need you to be the amazing big brother I know you want to be. Big brothers set an example right?'

'Righ', Daddy.'

'And some of that example is listening to your parents when it's the right thing to do, even if you don't want to.'

'Righ', Daddy,' RJ repeated, heaved what was an enormous sigh for a three year old. 'Okay, I 'pose a nigh 'way no' so bad.'

'You suppose a night away's not so bad,' Castle chuckled, and pulled him in for another hug. 'Now how could your mumum and Jojo and I not love you when you say things like that?'

Rj shrugged a little, then slid to his feet. 'I pola-shize. I no' nice-a Shane and he my buh-ro'n-law.'

'That's a good start.'

Castle followed his boy back to the poker table, where the conversation quieted as RJ walked over and poked Shane's thigh with his index finger.

'Ah-cuse me, Shane.'

'Yes, RJ.'

'I sorry fo' sayin' no-t'anks. I gonna 'tay wit' you an' Alessis to-nigh'.'

'Sounds like a plan, my main man.' Shane held out his fingertips and RJ tapped them with his own. 'Now head on back to your card game, I think they're waiting for you over there.'

'It's okay, Shane,' Dell called over. 'We are showing Duncan and Leo the rules for the next game and RJ knows them already.'

'He can have a few more big-boy minutes with you,' Carey added with a helpful, encouraging smile. 'He won't be missing out.'

'Shane, we have Fuh-rensh toas' fo' buh-reak-fas'?' RJ asked politely.

'I think we can work something out. You remember my friend Body at the bakery?'

'He make tah-berry pancakes all fancy.'

'That's right. I was thinking you and Alexis and I might have that for breakfast as a new big-brother treat for you,' Shane offered and RJ grinned widely.

'That nice. Okay, I be a big buh-ro. I pack a bag?'

'We'll take care of that in a little bit. Go have fun with your friends.'

'Okay.'

Shane smiled as he watched the tyke wander back to his own bros, and then turned back to the other men watching him with knowing looks. 'What?'

'Nothing, just thinking about how long it's going to be until you're the one with a wife in the hospital having a baby,' Castle replied. 'Even if that wife is my firstborn baby girl.'


	65. The Welcome Home I: 2 Days Old

_Hello everyone! I am beyond flattered at how much love this story has gotten, not just from the Usual Suspect (you know who you are) but also from newbies! I hope reading this one has inspired you to go back to where it all started with Cake Crumbs and work your way through my Castle-saga. I wonder if maybe we could get this fic to reach 500 reviews before it's finished! 70 more! I think my Crumbsians can do it! And as always thank you SO much for your reviews! I love hearing your feedback!_

* * *

><p>Upon returning to the hospital, Castle wasn't surprised to see Beckett awake and chatting to JoJo in her bassinet. What she had in her hands, however, had him laughing out loud.<p>

'Kate, what are you eating?'

Beckett tucked her spoon between her lips and gave him a guilty little smile. 'Ice cream. Honey-Milk and Robina brought in the fixings for sundaes for all the girls to celebrate Jojo's arrival.'

'That's awfully sweet of them.'

'We had chocolate, strawberry sauce, caramel, butterscotch chips, rainbow sprinkles, peanut buttercups. After they all left, Honey-Milk left the cart of ice cream in here for me since it's easy on my stomach.'

'On your stomach?'

Beckett nodded a little grimly. 'The post-birth painkiller they gave me made me a little nauseous and I was starting to gag a bit so Harvey scaled back my diet to the soft stuff until the dose runs out.'

'Is Jojo okay?'

'Yeah, she's fine. She's already filled up three diapers since you left for boys night.' She paused, scraped her spoon on the side of her bowl. 'How'd RJ take the news he was staying with Alexis tonight?'

'Oh, you know RJ, when it comes to his baby, he thinks the rules don't always apply to him,' he replied, detailing the story of RJ's stubbornness to see his baby sister. 'But in the end, he agreed to go with Shane and Alexis, and Shane texted me just when I got off the elevator here, that RJ and Omeo were already asleep at their place.'

'He's going to be a great big brother. Hell, he's already started with giving Shane a piece of his mind over Alexis.'

'I know it might have taken you a little bit to realize it, given my track record with women before you, but a hallmark of the Castle DNA is loyalty to our own.'

'Castle, I knew that even before I knew I was in love with you.'

'Seriously?'

Beckett nodded, licking melted ice cream from her spoon. 'It was the drowning in motor oil case, when you had Lee Wax slathering all over you for details about the case and I heard you tell her that what she was doing wasn't illegal, just really slimy so you didn't give her squat.'

'And that's what made you fall in love with me, that I wasn't just a handsome, mysterious and talented rogue of Gotham City?'

'No, I fell in love with you in _spite_ of that.'

'See, Jojo,' Castle said, scooping his daughter up from her bassinet and cuddling her close while she blinked at him, 'you stick close to your mumum, she's got a lot she can teach you about handling those icky things called boys. What?'

'Nothing, just...' Beckett frowned a little, wondering why the hell this new notion tripping through her brain had her feeling a little put out. 'I didn't have a single one of the boys getting all cuddly with my belly. Dell cozied right up to Meredeth and Carey was practically magnetized to Andrea. Why didn't Jojo get some attention like that.'

'I think,' he pondered as he sat down with Nessa in his arms, 'there are two reasons for that.'

'Oh?'

'Mm-hmm. One, whomever her little soulmate is in the second generation of the Twelfth Precinct hasn't been born yet. And two, and perhaps more importantly, you seriously think any little boy with romantic intentions amongst them was going to get past RJ?'

'That's very true. Right, Jojo?' Beckett set her empty dish aside and scooted down to the foot of the bed to tickle her daughter's tummy. 'She agrees with me.'

* * *

><p>RJ stretched and twisted in his big-boy bed, reached over for Omeo and smiled when he found his bunny. 'Hi-hi, Omeo, you ess-cited fo' to-day? Sho-sho comin' home!'<p>

He sat up, smacking his lips and rubbing his eyes. He was at home but it was funny to not have Mumum and Daddy there. He didn't like it at all, even though Alexis and Shane were there too. Now that his 'bumpy' was his 'sisser' he wanted her here, where he could show her everything she needed to know from her big bro. Wriggling a little bit from needing a diaper change, he climbed over the end of his bed and with Omeo in tow, he creeped out of his room next door to see the baby's room. It was in an apple and bugs theme, lots of green and red and white and brown everywhere, but no baby in the crib and RJ wanted that fixed right away.

He heard the sound of footsteps coming upstairs so he popped into the hallway with a little smile for Alexis. 'Hi-hi, Alessis, where my Sho-sho?'

'She'll be here around lunchtime, big guy,' Alexis informed him, then held out her hand. 'You need a bum-change?'

'Yes, Alessis.' RJ frowned as they went back into his room. 'Alessis, I wan' learn use the big toy-it.'

'You want to learn to use the big toilet?'

'Uh-huh, I big buh-ro now, an' big buh-ro no wear diapers.'

'That's a good reason.' Alexis knew from reading her parents' baby books and toddler books that boys were hard to potty-train consistently, so seeing that RJ had the motivation to do it himself told her that he was not only ready for it, but that it would stick. 'For now, I'll help you freshen up, okay?'

'O-kay, Lessis.'

Alexis changed his bottom which was only wet anyways, and dressed him in fresh pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt, then set him on his feet. 'You hungry?'

'You besha! I need-a suh-nack so I goo' an' suh-tong fo' my Sho-sho.'

'Well, you're in luck because Shane made pancakes.'

'Yea!'

RJ took his sister's hand and scampered for the stairs, mindful not to miss a step and send them both tumbling. He lifted his chin and sniffed the air like a bloodhound. 'Oh, boy! It 'mell way yummy! Shane a goo' shef!'

'He is a good chef,' Alexis agreed; they'd reached the kitchen and she smiled at her man who was bravely handling the stove in just his pj bottoms and felt her heart give an extra hard thump. He'd been selected back in November to be in the upcoming charity calendar for the NYPD and being the pathologist had scored the sweet month of October, so he'd decided to go a little Hollywood and get his chest waxed to go with his sexy Grim Reaper costume. He'd liked the look more than he thought he would, and to his delight, Alexis had loved it, so he'd kept his torso nice and smooth since the photo shoot. Alexis liked it because it also showed of the ink he sported over his heart, the proverb about the creation of woman and wondered if he was planning to keep that look up until their honeymoon.

'Lessis? Shane talkin'a you.'

'Sorry, RJ,' Alexis giggled, knowing the look she got from her fiance would go right over the toddler's head. 'Just a little daydream.'

'Well, this will bring you back to earth.' Shane reached for a plate of piping hot pancakes and put them on the island while Alexis helped boost RJ up into the bar stool. 'Chocolate chip, your fave, RJ.'

'Yea!' RJ clapped his hands while Alexis patiently put two cakes on his plate and cut them into bite-size pieces. 'No sur'p, 'tanks,' he added when she lifted the pitcher.

'Okay and nice job with the manners, big guy.'

'I haffa set ah-sample fo' Sho-sho,' he said in the all-important tone of the under-five crowd. 'Shane, where you' shir'?'

'I spilled pancake batter on it so it's in the washing machine. But we have more important things to worry about right now, RJ.' Shane brought over a glass of juice for him and Alexis each, then picked up his own plate of pancakes and began to nosh. 'We need to tidy up the loft and we need to make a welcome home lunch for your parents and Jojo.'

'Soup? It good fo' tummies na' Daddy say Mumum tummy u'set yesserday.'

'Soup and sandwiches,' Alexis decided. 'But not split-pea, it's too heavy if you're feeling sick. What is another one we could make RJ?'

'T'mato! An' grill sheese. Tha' way yummy.'

'I think they will like that very much. I also know your mom's being craving club sandwiches,' Shane added to Alexis, 'I'll take care of that if you and RJ want to do the tidying up.'

'We can handle that, right RJ?'

'Righ', we make it nice fo' Sho-sho!'

The time between breakfast and arrival flew by and to both Alexis and Shane's surprise, RJ not only was helpful tidying up, as he took directions very very well, but in addition to his own surprise for his mother and sister, he also had the idea to get Beckett some nice welcome-home flowers.

'Ev-ee-one like fuh-lowers,' he reasoned. 'They 'mell nice, like summah-time.'

'That they do. You've got your surprise all ready?'

'Uh-huh, it in Sho-sho room now!'

'Good, because Dad just sent me a message,' Alexis said, holding up her phone. 'They are on their way up the elevator.'

'Yea!' RJ clapped enthusiastically. 'My Sho-sho home!'


	66. The Welcome Home II

'Suh-pise! Welcome home, Sho-sho!'

Beckett grinned widely as she brought in her bags and the baby bag while Castle carried the new addition into the loft in her carrier. 'Hello, my little prince, oh it's nice to be home!'

RJ bolted over to Beckett, waiting until she'd set her bags down before stretching his arms out for a hug. 'You are the bes' mumum ev-ah, Mumum, we make it all nice fo' you an' Daddy an' Sho-sho.'

'I can see that!' she replied jubilantly, looking around the loft. The last time she'd seen it, they'd all been mid-party, and now, just three days later you couldn't even tell there had been guests.

'RJ, can you come over here, and do something for me?' Castle asked, and RJ squirmed to his feet, rushed over to his father.

'Wha's goin' on, Daddy?'

'Can you take my glove off for me?' He held out his hand and RJ tugged on the leather glove while Castle held Jojo's carrier in his other hand. When his son had completed his task, he switched hands. 'Now the other one.'

'I do it, Daddy, I big help!' RJ grunted, pulling the fabric and coming away victorious. 'There-a go!'

'Nice job, RJ,' Alexis grinned, videoing the whole welcome home on her camcorder while Shane took the still photos. 'Why don't we put those away while Mom and Dad get Jojo settled?'

'Goo' 'dea, Less,' RJ replied, then looked at his father. 'Coa' an' boots too, Daddy?'

Beckett took Jojo in her carrier from Castle as he finished undressing his winter gear and passing it to their other children before she took Jojo into the living room by the fireplace. It was getting to be vicious, nasty weather outside and the last thing she wanted was her brand-new baby getting the sniffles.

It was so different this time around than with RJ, Beckett thought as she cuddled up with Jojo in her arms. When she'd had RJ home those first few days, she was absolutely terrified that she was going to do something wrong, even though Castle had already been a parent - a mostly single parent - to a baby before. Now, it was like that old adage of riding a bike; everything she'd learned with RJ was coming back to her as naturally as breathing, like adjusting how she supported Jojo's head to make sure she wasn't cramped up or at risk of hurting herself.

'There we are, Jojo, yes we know what to do, don't we baby,' she murmured, closing her eyes to breathe in the scent of new baby - talc powder and soap. Beckett's lips curved into a smile when she felt the small weight shift in the cushions beside her. 'Hi, RJ.'

'Hi, Mumum.'

RJ plunked himself down and watched his baby sister with utter fascination. It still amazed him that this amazing little person, so cute and special, was the one that he'd nicknamed bumpy inside his mother's tummy. In his mind, there had been nothing more wonderful ever made in all the world, with the exception of maybe his big sister.

'She so lit-tle, Mumum,' he whispered, watching the way she napped against Beckett's shoulder. 'I make shoo she 'tay safe.'

'I know you will sweetie.'

'Mumum, I have a suh-pise fo' Sho-sho up-tairs.'

'Upstairs?'

RJ nodded. 'In Sho-sho room, it pishal. I make it.'

'Then I'm sure she will love it, my little prince.'

'We made lunch,' Shane informed Beckett and Castle, who sighed in grateful satisfaction. 'Tomato soup, club sandwiches and RJ has requested grilled cheese. Are Jim, Martha and Agnes coming over?'

'No, they're coming for dinner tomorrow night,' Castle replied, sitting down on the couch beside RJ. 'The doctor said when we were packing up to come home that since it was such a hard birth that Jojo needs rest as does Kate so no wild parties for either of them just yet.'

'Understandable.' Alexis nodded sympathetically, set her video camera down. 'Mom, can I hold her?'

'Sure, Lex.' Beckett carefully stood up, walked to where Alexis sat down in the arm chair with arms held open to accept her little sister. 'There you go, there you go.'

'Hi Jojo, it's your big sister again. You and me are going to have some great times together, aren't we? Oh, what's that noise?' Alexis asked as Jojo gave a little squeak. She looked at her parents, who were smiling at her. 'What? Why are you laughing, what's that noise?'

'The hiccups, honey,' Castle told her. 'Jojo gets them when she's sleepy.'

'No hiccups, Sho-sho, it okay!' RJ scooted himself off the couch and immediately went over to give his baby sister a little tap on the back. 'Tha' wha' Mumum do fo' bubbas, righ'?'

'That's right, RJ,' Beckett encouraged him, then rubbed her own belly when she felt the big rumble there. 'Well, since all three of our babies are occupied, how does lunch sound?'

'Very, very good.'

They brought over their plates and bowls to the living room, enjoying the homeyness of the feeling - the snap and crackle of the fireplace keeping them warm, the low murmur of Alexis and RJ and Shane talking to Jojo, and Jojo herself creaking and cooing and squeaking away. Beckett sighed in utter happiness as she bit into her sandwich and gave Castle a gooey look. 'This is what I've been dreaming of since my water broke.'

'A sandwich?'

'No, this.' She gestured to them all with a wave of her hand. 'You and me and Jojo home with RJ and Alexis and Shane, just enjoying being a family together. I've been wanting that since RJ's birthday, you know? And now we've got it, and...'

'It's okay, Kate.'

Castle watched her put down her sandwich and reach for a napkin to dab at her eyes. He reached out and patted her shoulder. 'I know, honey.'

'Daddy? Whassa matta wit' Mumum?' RJ, who seemed to have a sixth sense about feminine tears, left his little sister in his big sister's trusted care and flew to his mother's side to comfort her. 'Why you go' tears?'

'Remember those things we talked about when Jojo was still in my tummy? My hormones?'

'Daddy say they live in U-tah an' make you feel funny some-times.'

'The second part is true,' Castle chuckled.

'Well, now that the baby's here outside my body after being in there so long, it's trying to sort out what to do with the extra ones still there.'

'Oh. You go potty, gedd'em out?'

Beckett snorted, then started laughing until tears ran down her face. 'Oh my God, RJ, you just made my day, you really did my little prince.'

'Wha'?' RJ looked at his mother who was howling like a loon. 'I say some-thin' funny?'

'A little bit, RJ. You can't get rid of hormones by going to the bathroom,' Castle explained, 'you just have to be patient and wait for them to even themselves out.'

'Oh. Like ocea' waves?'

'Yes, a lot like ocean waves.'

'Mom?' Alexis stood up with Jojo, walked over. 'I think she wants a snack, she's making the fish-face like RJ used to make.'

'Lemme see, puh-lease and gassy, Alessis,' RJ asked politely, 'I wanna know so I tell Mumum.'

'Okay, RJ.'

Alexis took a spot on the couch and Beckett sat up beside her, RJ watching carefully as Jojo poked her little pink tongue between her lips in the classic sign a baby was looking for mama's milk-jugs. 'See, that's what face she'll make if she's hungry and not crying.'

'Why she cuh-ry?'

'Because she's so little she doesn't know how to talk yet,' Beckett explained, unbuttoning her blouse and adjusting her nursing bra. The sight of his mother's naked boob had RJ going red as the tomato soup being served for lunch.

'Mumum! Wha' you doin'! Tha' no' po-lite!'

'This is how babies are fed, RJ,' she told him honestly.

'No, you gotta cov-ah bubbies up!'

'RJ, take a breath little man,' Shane told him with a laugh. 'It's one thing if your mumum was out at a restaurant and did that, but she and Jojo are in their own home, it's perfectly fine for your mumum to do that here.'

'Shane...' RJ trailed off as he heard Jojo sigh in pure contentment while she snacked. 'Okay, tha' so funny bu' if Sho-sho happy, tha' wha' im'ortan'. Righ', Daddy?'

'That's exactly it, big guy.' Castle was more than a little surprised his wife had whipped her boobies out in front of their boy too, but he supposed given how involved RJ wanted to be, he knew that those puppies would be flying free every so often. 'But don't worry, Mumum will work her magic so you can give Jojo her bottles, too.'

'Hey, RJ, didn't you have a surprise you made for Jojo,' Alexis reminded him in an effort to peel her disgusted little brother away from the spectacle of Jojo breastfeeding. 'Why don't you bring it down for Mom and Dad?'

'No, it okay, I wash. It yucky but I haffa be a big buh-ro an' wash out fo' Sho-Sho.'


	67. The Late Night

By the time Jojo was ready for her crib, RJ was snoring away in his own big boy bed with Omeo tucked in beside him. He only snored when he was really tired, Castle noted, just like himself. Jojo, on the other hand, was like her mumum and barely made a whistle when she was in her crib.

'There we are, my little sweetie-pie,' he murmured, watching Beckett lay their baby in her crib and adjusting the blankets on her little body. He stroked a fingertip down Jojo's cheek and watched with a melting heart as she unknowingly scrunched up her cheek in a little half-smile to her daddy. 'Jojo, you are such a little sweetheart.'

'A sweetheart who needs her beauty rest,' Beckett added, knowing he would stand there until their little one woke again. 'Come on, Daddy, time for us to get some rest too.'

Beckett prodded him towards the door, then turned back and pressing her fingertips to her lips, stroked them over Jojo's fuzzy head. 'I'll see you in a few hours for a snack, Jojo.'

She dimmed the lights to night-light level, made sure the baby monitor on the crib-end was turned on full and closed the door part-way. With the parents' end of the baby monitor in her hand she went to look in on RJ, saw he was down for the count so she went into her room and stopped short when she saw Castle sitting on the end of the bed, his hand over his eyes as his shoulders shook with sobs.

'Rick?'

His head snapped up and Beckett felt a lurch in her core when she saw the look on his face. 'Kate,' was all he said.

'Rick, what is it?'

'I am a father of two daughters. One of my babies is getting married in half a year, and the other we just brought home from the hospital because she's three days old. And our son...our son loves them so much, and Alexis loves you so much, you are her mother, Kate, even if you didn't carry her in your body.'

'Rick,' she murmured, and sat down beside him, let him lean on her this time.

'You are the most amazing woman, Kate, I...there are no words. I'm a writer, I always have words and there are no words for this- what's going on in here right now,' Castle pointed to his chest.

'Then don't try and force it. We'll just sit here and you can do whatever you need to do.'

He nodded, and when he felt his wife's arm come around his broad shoulder, he just let it pour out, until it wrung him dry and he was reduced to ragged breathing. Castle felt her hand on his shoulder and he lifted his head, turned her face to his for a long, slow kiss.

'I love you Katherine Louise.'

'I love you too Richard Edgar.'

'That's Alexander to you. That's the real me.'

'Okay. Richard Alexander.'

He drew in a deep cleansing breath, then swore ripely. 'Oh, fuck, Kate, I made you milk.'

'So you did,' she agreed, looking down at her blouse. Standing up, she stripped it off and went to the ensuite to soak it in the sink with hot water so the milk didn't foul the smell of her clothes permanently. She came back and put on an old button-up Mets jersey to go with her comfy at home leggings, the kind Castle knew she preferred when she didn't have to dress for impressing anyone. 'Richard, you and I have a relationship unlike anyone else's in the world. You know what is going to make Alexis and Shane's wedding even more special for us as a family?'

'What?'

'That it truly will be a family affair. Shane told me that he's going to ask RJ to be the ringbearer for the ceremony and little Jojo is goign to be an honorary flower girl.'

'That's so beautiful.'

'Shane loves RJ so much, almost like RJ is Alexis' son and not her brother. And he's not afraid to lay down the law with him either, which is amazing,' Castle added, 'because our son is quite a charmer.'

'And where do you think he gets that from?'

'You, of course,' he told her, 'the way you flirt to get the possible bad guys on your side? Just like when he wants us to let Trini sleep over.'

Beckett smiled, then looked at him. 'You're thinking of Alexis and Shane and them becoming parents.'

'I am, I am Kate. It scared me this afternoon, seeing Alexis with a newborn with Shane. It's scary for me to think that I've just had a baby with you and there's a real possibility that this time next year we'll be grandparents.'

'I doubt it. Alexis and Shane may be quite active in practicing, but that's all they do, Rick. They don't want a family yet. In fact, I'll make you a wager.'

'A wager?' The sound of his bride proposing a gamble was music to his ears and Castle looked up at her. 'What are your terms?'

'If Alexis and Shane aren't pregnant one year from now to the day, today on January the third, then you will make me a full Chinese buffet dinner from scratch, including my chicken balls and my pork and shrimp wontons.'

'And if they are?'

Beckett frowned a little in thought, then made eyes at him. 'We will go to Vegas for the weekend to stay in that horridly cheesy Lover's Suite at the Bellagio.'

'The one with the heart-shaped Jacuzzi and mirrors on the ceiling over the bed?' Castle perked up.

'That's the one.'

'You have yourself a wager missy.'

'Excellent. Now, I don't know about you but I could use a drink and a nibble.' She slapped his knee and kissed his cheek. 'And I do believe there are leftovers from dinner.'

'Cold pizza, I dig it.'

Before either of them could move, however, they heard Jojo whimpering through the baby monitor and gave each other a smile.

'Looks like you're up, Mumum,' Castle told her, then paused as he heard the sound of a door opening, followed by little feet. The bedroom door was shoved open and RJ looked a little scared.

'Mumum, Daddy, Sho-sho cuh-ryin'. Whassa mattah?'

'It's okay, RJ, this is what babies do,' Beckett replied as she stood up. 'I'm going to check on her, she might just be uncomfortable or she might need a snack.'

'More bubbie milk, Mumum?'

'Yes, that's how it's going to work for awhile.'

'An' she up alla time?'

'She won't be up all the time,' Beckett explained, RJ following her as she went to the nursery. 'See, Jojo drink her milk which is full of nutrients, but it goes through her little body very quickly and that means she eats more often.'

'Oh. When I get-a give her a bot-tle?'

'You will get to give her a bottle in three days, okay?'

'Thuh-ree days?'

'That's right, because in three days that is the day before the baby shower Auntie Meredeth is through for Jojo, and I know you will want to show off your big-brother skills to everyone, right?'

RJ bobbed his head like a bird drunk on worms. 'You besha, Mumum!'

They'd reached Jojo's crib and Beckett looked at her, saw she wasn't needing a snack just yet, she was just fussing as she tried to get used to her new bed. 'Okay, Jojo, I know, it's different, but just give it a chance, okay?'

'Mumum, Sho-sho wanna 'tory?'

'I don't think she wants a story yet, sweetheart. I think she just wants to get adjusted to being at home.'

'I gotta learn how read, Mumum, I gotta tell my Sho-sho 'tories.'

'Okay, then a deal.' Beckett turned to RJ, ushered him quietly out of the room and back to his own bed. 'Whenever you and I have story time, we will make sure we include Jojo. How does that sound?'

'Thassa goo' 'dea, Mumum,' he yawned, snuggling down and grabbing Omeo, thrusting him at Beckett. 'Omeo wan' a moosh, Mumum.'

'Okay, Omao, mwah.'

'Omeo say gassy, Mumum. Now shoo-shoo, it suh-leepy time.'

Beckett laughed, then stroked a hand over her son's head. 'Good night, RJ, Mumum loves you very much.'

'Love you too, Mumum.'

He was buzzing away like a little mosquito in sleep before she'd even left the room, and so she crept downstairs; the scent of reheated pizza was calling her, and she grinned when she saw the table had been set with a small candle and ginger ale in wineglasses. Her hubby sure loved to spoil her, Beckett mused, and even better, she was finally comfortable enough in their relationship that she not only enjoyed it but looked forward to it.

'How's the kids?' Castle asked, staring down the timer on the microwave.

'RJ is back in bed and snoring like a little overtired angel, and Jojo was just squirming, not ready to snack just yet. The same cannot be said for me.'

'Then you're in luck because-' He pointed at the microwave '-dinner's ready, honey.'


	68. The RJ Bonding: 5 Days Old

'Kate.'

'Nuh-uh.'

'Kate.'

'Castle, it's my turn to sleep,' Beckett told him, face half buried in her pillow as she talked. She could tell it was early in the morning by the way her head pounded from the lack of sleep. She glanced at the clock and saw it was barely six in the morning. 'I pumped out last night so you can be a proud daddy and feed Jojo without my boobs.'

'It's not that.'

She sighed, rolled to her back as she pressed a hand to her eyes. 'Richard, you do know I can't have sex with you until Valentine's Day, right?'

'Not that either, my sexy mama.'

'Okay, it's too early for this, I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight, Castle.'

'Kate, RJ is trying to tell Jojo a story,' he told her, enjoying how she peeled open an eye and gave him a disbelieving squint.

'What?'

'Have a listen.'

Castle held out the baby monitor, and sure enough, there was RJ's little voice coming through crystal clear.

_Once 'pon-a time, there was a boo-tee-fo puh-rincess name Sho-sho, she mos' boo-tee-fo puh-rincess ev-ah._

Beckett giggled, looked at her husband. 'Guess he really is your son, making up stories for his little sister already, huh?'

'Shh, keep listening.'

_An' Sho-sho name affer a an-shel. She have a mumum, Keen Katie an' a daddy Kin' Rishar'. They so 'mart, they know Sho-sho a pishal puh-rincess. But Sho-sho mos' pishal ah-cause she have a buh-ro an' a sisser, Puh-rincess Alessis and Puh-rince Ah-Shay. _

'What a smart little guy,' Beckett laughed. 'I want to go give him a hug for being such a great brother.'

'Hold on a moment,' Castle told her as he heard Jojo begin to whimper, a cry he already recognized as Jojo's call for milk. 'Let's see how he handles that one.'

_Oh, shusha, it okay, Sho-sho, you 'nacky? You need bubbie-milk? Okay, Omeo, you 'tay here with Sho-sho, I go get Mumum an' Daddy_.

Castle and Beckett looked at each other as they heard the footsteps and hid the baby monitor from RJ's view so when he pushed the door open, it just looked like he was finding them as they woke up.

'Mumum? Daddy?' RJ ventured quietly.

'Yes, RJ, what's going on?'

'Sho-sho suh-quirmy. I think she 'nacky, or nee' a fuh-resh bum.'

'Okay, let's go investigate it.'

Castle held out his hand to RJ and let the toddler lead him to the scene of the crime, as it were, and when he started talking to Jojo, her whimpers subsided to little mewls. 'Good morning, sweetie, you spending some quality time with big brother?'

'We havin' 'tory time Daddy.'

'What kind of story.'

'It 'bou' a puh-rincess. Puh-rincess Sho-sho.'

'Yes you are a little princess, aren't you Jojo,' Castle crooned to the infant and gave her a grin when she blinked her big eyes at him. 'There you are, hello sunshine.'

'She a goo' baby, Daddy,' RJ told him, climbing up on the chair to watch as his father gently laid Jojo on her changing table and began to unfasten her diaper. His eyes went wide when he smelled the foul odour and he waved his hand under his nose. 'Wow! Sho-sho a 'tinky-pants!'

'She is a stinky-pants but we are going to fix that, aren't we Jojo? Then it's snack time.'

'Castle, don't forget we made a promise to RJ, right?' Beckett reminded her men from the nursery doorway.

'That's right we did, and Castles keep their promises. Yes we do, Jojo.' Castle tickled her feet and made her lips pucker up in that happy little way, then scooped her up. 'You are in for a treat, you are getting some serious big-brother-bonding time.'

'Wha' tha' mean?' RJ looked at his parents, then let it compute. 'I getta give Sho-sho her bot-tle?'

'It's three days later and that was our deal, right?'

'Uh-huh! Yea! I getta do it!'

'RJ, hold Mumum's hand going downstairs,' Castle told his eager little beaver as they left the nursery together. 'I don't want to be back in the hospital with you.'

'No, Daddy, I no' gonna go bump.'

True to his word, RJ clung tight to Beckett's hand as they headed downstairs, but once his foot hit the bottom step RJ raced over to the couch where Beckett was accustomed to feeding Jojo. He swung his legs back and forth in excitement, then frowned when his parents stayed in the kitchen with the baby. Confused, he went over looked at them.

'Mumum, why Sho-sho no' over there wit' me? Where her bot-tle?'

'It's okay, RJ, see, her milk has to be warmed up when it's in a bottle so it's much nicer for her tummy,' Castle told him as he put the water on to float Jojo's bottle of breast milk. 'You know how when you eat your ice cream too fast you get a tummyache?'

'Uh-huh.'

'That's what Jojo would feel if we didn't warm her bottle up and because she's so new and little, it would make her cry very hard and not be very happy at all.'

'We no wan' tha', Daddy.' RJ shook his head with serious eyes. 'Sho-sho a happy baby.'

'Exactly and we want to make sure she stays that way.'

Beckett smiled as she watched RJ rock back and forth in slightly impatient waiting from side to side, looking up at his little sister in their daddies arms. He was such a little character, and despite everyone teasing about how poor little Jojo would never get a date in her life thanks to his diligence, she knew that Jojo would never want for a better dragon slayer and protector of her honour than her big brother.

When the bottle was ready, RJ raced over to the couch once more and wiggled in excited anticipation for his responsibility level to sky-rocket. Beckett followed Castle over with the camera in hand and snapped as many shots as possible while she watched her husband sit with their son, watched as Jojo was put in RJ's arms and Castle helped him steady her with the aid of a pillow under his elbow for balance. When he passed RJ the bottle and RJ held it to Jojo's little lips, she fussed only a moment before latching on and suckling heroically like the bottle was going to run away from her.

'Look, Daddy, she havin' a bottle! I givin' my Sho-sho her bot-tle!' he whispered in hushed excitement.

'Yes you are, and you're very good at that too. Here.' Castle ran his fingertip near Jojo's upper lip to make sure she remembered to breathe a little while she had her breakfast. 'There that is probably a little bit nicer for her.'

'Goo' shob, Sho-sho,' RJ murmured, and dipping his head, gave her forehead a little kiss. The light contact made Jojo heave a satisfied sigh and coo around her bottle. She raised her tiny pink hand, let it flop down on top of her brother's as he held the bottle steady for her with his daddy's help. 'Hey, you so 'mart, Sho-sho! Daddy, she tuh-ryin'-a feed birdies?'

'She could be,' Castle replied, humouring his son. He watched the level of milk in the bottle go down and when Jojo had sucked the whole lot dry, he helped RJ ease it back from her mouth. 'Okay, now we give the baby a burp.'

'Ah-cause she have tummy bubbas, righ'?'

'Exactly, and we want to make sure they get out of her belly since she can't do it on her own.

'How do it, Daddy?'

'Rick, why don't you do this part,' Beckett suggested, the new-again mother in her fretting a little that RJ being small himself would not be able to master burping little Jojo. She started to move closer, but Castle shook his head.

'We've got it, Kate, RJ wants to feed the baby, he can help learn all the parts that go into it.'

'I gotta set ah-sample, Mumum,' RJ added in solidarity, turning his focus once more to his little sister. 'How I do it, Daddy?'

'We are going to sit her up on your lap, and I'm going to hold onto her here.' Castle put his wide hand on Jojo's chest, steadying her little bobble-head. 'Now you are going to tap her back, gently but with purpose.'

'Okay, like this?'

RJ began to pat Jojo's back, then froze when he felt her give a little lurch. 'Whassat? What I do?'

'Nothing,' Beckett chuckled. 'That's just Jojo burping, RJ.'

'I no hur' her?'

'Not at all.'

'Okay, Jojo, your big brother has fed and burped you, and that is a very important moment for you both,' Castle told her as he scooped her up and sat with her cradled in his arms so she could look out on the world. 'What do you say we make him a nice breakfast for being such a big help?'

'No' fancy, Daddy, I wan' oa'meal, puh-lease.'

'And check out those manners,' Beckett added, 'Jojo, you've got a great role model in your big brother.'


	69. The Montgomery Visit: 2 Weeks Old

'Where Sho-sho! There she is!'

RJ raised the towel in front of his face, then lowered it once more and he watched as Jojo looked at him with a little wrinkle in her nose as she pursed her little lips together. It was laundry day in the Castle castle, and while Beckett took care of folding the clothes, RJ was having a grand ol' time entertaining the two-week-old Jojo. He gave her a big smile, reached out and tickled her feet which made Beckett laugh.

'RJ, are you helping me with Jojo's laundry or are you playing with your sister?'

'I do bot', Mumum, I Ah-Shay. I learn-a mully-tis'.'

'Who taught you the word 'multitask', my little prince? Alexis or Daddy?' Beckett inquired of her son and he gave her his big-sister-is-my-joy smile.

'Alessis, Mumum, she say when we in-a kishin, we mully-tis'.'

'Yet another way we know they're both related to you,' she told Castle, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys. 'How's the chapter coming along?'

'Better if I'm not interrupted, my one true love,' he replied without looking up for a millisecond. 'In the zone, no talking.'

'Daddy 'ranky?' RJ asked as he matched up Jojo's socks; it was his favourite thing to help his mother with whenever a household chore had to be done. Cooking in his mind wasn't a chore, because it was fun, and the same thing went for matching up socks. 'He 'ranky, Mumum?'

'A little bit, he's missing Alexis and he wants to get some work done while he has his idea.'

'Oh. I miss Alessis too, but she at suh-chool, she 'mart, she be a dotta. Mumum?'

'Yes RJ,' Beckett laughed.

'She gonna be a dead pee-pill dotta like Shane?'

'No, sweetie, she's going to be a psychiatrist.'

'Wha' tha'? Wha' a seek-a-tis'?'

'That is a doctor who helps people when they are unhappy or sad or needing someone to talk to if something bad happens to them.'

'Bu' tha' why we have mumums and daddies,' RJ replied, his little brain working overtime.

'And those people are usually a big help but what if you don't have a mumum or daddy to talk to, and you want to make sure someone listens to you?'

'Ohhhh.' He nodded wisely. 'So...Alessi go-a suh-chool to help sad pee-pill an' give'em me'cine?'

'Exactly,' Beckett told him, folding the last of Jojo's onsies. 'Okay, you finished with those socks?'

'Yes Mumum, they so boo-tee-fo. Righ', Sho-sho? Mumum! Mumum, look! She suh-milin'!

Beckett looked over and saw Jojo was giving her big brother an adorable little lip-pucker that set the dimple in her left cheek winking away. 'Oh, Jojo, you are going to have your big brother wrapped around your finger, I can feel it,' she laughed as she answered the phone, which was ringing the front-door security line. 'Hello? Oh, okay, sure. Send him up.'

'Who's here?' Castle asked, his fingers still drilling into the keyboard.

'Montgomery.'

His fingers paused and he looked away from the computer screen. 'What? Why?'

'I don't know. I can guess but I don't know for sure.'

Without a single hesitation, Castle saved his worked and shut the laptop lid down. He went over to RJ and crouched down in front of him. 'RJ, I need you to go upstairs with me and Jojo. Mumum's boss, Captain Montgomery, is here to talk to Mumum and I about her work so I need you to be a big boy for me and stay upstairs with your sister in her room, okay?'

'Okay, Daddy.' RJ recognized this tone, he knew that there was no amount of charm he could use to persuade his father to soften his stance. He stood up and gave a little nod. 'I lissen you, I wash Sho-sho.'

'And if you need help for anything, just say so, we will hear it on the baby monitor,' Castle added as he walked upstairs with Jojo in his arms and RJ walking in front of him. He put Jojo in her crib, made sure the monitor was on max-volume. 'You got me, little bro?'

'I gosha Daddy.'

They tapped fingertips and Castle flew back downstairs just as Beckett was opening the door to Montgomery.

'Sir,' was all she could think of to say.

'Kate, Rick,' Montgomery replied as he unwound his scarf. 'I'm sorry to interrupt you at home, but I have news regarding your mother's case.'

'Of course. Would you like coffee?'

'Whatever's hot. It's a bitching-cold wind out there,' he said, then clapped a hand to his mouth. 'Sorry, I know your kids are proaround.'

'They're upstairs,' Castle told him, silently adding, _safe and sound away from this nightmare_.

Montgomery waited, holding his tongue while he took off his coat and winter shoes. He watched them murmur amongst themselves in the kitchen and looking around, saw the stack of little clothes in the laundry basket and the basket of toys for the older boy nearby. Such a domestic sight, he thought, then turned his attention away from the children's things to focus on his visit to them.

Castle brought over the tray of coffees, passed one to him, and the moment Beckett was sitting beside him, she blurted out, 'What about my mother's case?'

'I wanted to let you know that I've gone to the Cold Case Unit with what you showed me you found before Christmas. They've given me a window of six months to work on the case and they've let me draft in Adam Brennan as a expert civilian consultant until you've returned from your maternity leave to active duty.'

'Sir, why would you do that?' Beckett asked, completely blown away.

'Because I didn't do right by you when you started digging into this case again. I was selfish and thinking only of myself. I have a family, my wife and kids, to think of but I also have the other family of cops I'm sworn to look out for. This is my chance to make it right for you.'

'I can't ask this of you, Roy.'

'You're not. I am asking it of you, Kate. I am asking you to let me use all your work to take it to the next step so that when the time comes, you can make the arrest yourself.'

'And what happens if you find the person responsible before I'm back?'

'You would be listed as the arresting officer in absentia.'

'No. That's not good enough,' Beckett shook her head. 'I'm sorry sir but it's not. I need to put that bastard who paid Dick Coonan to kill my mother behind bars myself.'

'I understand that, Kate,' Montgomery said mournfully. 'But you know that working this case is going to be slow. There will be no email, no telephone calls, nothing that could tip off anyone trying to spy on you electronically. You've ensured that protocol, both of you.'

'Roy.' Castle set down his cup. 'What aren't you telling us? I know you well too, and you wouldn't have taken what we gave you to CCU unless you added to it yourself. What did you find?'

'I talked to Adam, a lot since he was attacked, and he believes that his father's suicide wasn't of his own volition. He believes that who ever attacked him is the same person that killed his father.'

'And that someone is also at the disposal of whomever hired Dick Coonan,' Beckett concluded, chewing her thumbnail. 'All roads lead to him, don't they?'

'Yeah. We're going to be looking deep into him now, that's part of what Adam's already started on.'

'Adam?'

'Kate, he knows almost as well as you what it is to want answers so badly you can taste it.' Montgomery sipped his coffee. 'He's got notes, gone back over case files with suspicious deaths and we are building the box. It's not going to be easy but we, yourself, me, Castle, Adam, your team, all of us are going to go at it and go at it hard.'

'Answer me one thing, Roy.' Beckett's eyes went frosty as the weather outside. 'Do you think there is another cop, a cop in a high-ranking office in this?'

'No. No,' Montgomery repeated firmly. 'Because if there was, Adam and I would not get the clearance to work a case that would risk exposing them.'

'Someone else with power in the city's infrastructure, then,' Castle reasoned. 'Not Former Mayor Bob?'

'No, not him either. We can't ask ourselves those questions now, though,' Montgomery reasoned. 'We do, we lose our focus on the leads we have, and those are going to take us down the roads to find those answers.'

'Okay then. But I am snail-mailed a copy of everything you two put together,' Beckett insisted, drilling her finger into the tabletop, 'and if I find out you've withheld anything from me, sir, I don't care if you are my commanding officer, or the Chief of Detectives. I don't care if you are the second coming of Christ, I will lose my shit on you.'

'And I'd expect nothing less from you, Kate.'


	70. The Crossroads

When Montgomery had gone, Castle turned to Beckett and looked at her sternly. 'Are you sure you're okay with this? Letting two other people take over your mother's case?'

'Yes,' Beckett replied, looking at him with the same kind of raw honesty she'd used on her captain. 'I know that case inside out and despite the bumps of how our paths crossed, I trust Adam Brennan. I looked at Jarrad Brennan's service record, and he was a good cop, the kind that would do anything and everything to solve a case where he thought things weren't on the level. But it's more than that.'

She took a breath, stood up to walk over to the fireplace mantle where she kept a picture of herself and her mother from her high-school graduation, right beside the one of her on her wedding day with Castle and Alexis; it was hugged on the other side by pictures of her in the delivery room with RJ and propped up against it was the same shot with Jojo.

'Montgomery has his suspicions of who he thinks is responsible and I understand he doesn't want them leaked and possibly getting back to whomever he's got in his cross hairs. But by bringing in more people, getting more people suspicious about things, it gives us security.'

'How? I'm sorry Kate, but the way I see it, the more people who know about it, the more likely it is that one of them will talk and then talk to the wrong person,' Castle said with a shake of his head. 'What if you get spied on like Montgomery was?'

'That's always a possibility in law enforcement, it's one of the risks,' Beckett agreed, 'but the way I see it, the way Montgomery sees and most likely Adam too, is that the more people start looking at this case, the harder it will be to make it disappear again. A single cop who nosed in too far, that's one thing. But a team of five or six well trained homicide cops? All ranked officers working from the same precinct? How do you get rid of them without their families raising the alarm or without drawing attention to yourself?'

Castle had thought of it that way himself and nodded. 'You think that's how Montgomery sees it?'

'It's how he sees it now. Now that we've gone back in with better leads, solid leads that will actually bring us some answers.'

'And you? What if you were right and Montgomery and Adam find this psychopath before you're back?'

'If that happens...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it,' Beckett said definitively, with a firm nod, hands folded over her chest. 'I want this guy's head on a stick Castle, I want him to pay for it, to suffer the way I suffered and my dad suffered. I would even go before a judge and say no death sentence for this son of a bitch, I want him to live for a long time to think about what he did to me and mine.'

'That's my girl. No matter how much you've grown and evolved, that's the cop I fell for right there who wants to do right by her mother.' He took a step toward her. 'I will be there every step of the way for you, Kate. We are in this fight together.'

'And that's my man, the one fell for who's grown and evolved with me who would do anything to keep me and mine safe.'

Beckett walked back over to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, kissing him deeply; her tongue slid over his, making him moan.

'Kate, we can't have sex yet, and I'd as soon not go upstairs to the nursery sporting a kick-stand,' Castle murmured against her lips; his word choice had her laughing.

'Kick-stand?'

'It's a guy thing. I'll go fetch RJ and Jojo.'

'No, let me.' Beckett put her hand on his cheek. 'I need to see them.'

He nodded, and she went upstairs, not at all surprised to find that RJ had set up camp in Jojo's room. He had dragged in his baby throw blanket and was curled up in a little ball with Omeo tucked in his arm as he stared at the crib with tired eyes.

'RJ,' Beckett called to him softly, and she watched his eyes slowly focus on hers. 'Hey buddy, you all tuckered out?'

'I washin' Sho-sho, Mumum, like Daddy say so,' he replied with a tired little yawn. 'I make shoo she goo'.'

'And was she?'

'Uh-huh, she a happy baby, Mumum.'

Beckett nodded, then looked in on Jojo, saw the little girl was sound asleep. 'She's also a sleeping baby, so why don't we go to your room and we'll tuck you in for a nap there?'

'Thassa goo' 'dea, Mumum. My neck hur'.'

'I'm sure it does lying in the chair like that.'

Beckett followed her son into his room, but he didn't go right to the bed like she thought he would. Instead he went to his bookshelf and pulled out a copy of 'The 'B' Book', took it over to his chair identical to the one in Jojo's nursery. 'You want a story first, buddy?'

'I wanna learn-a rea' it fo' Sho-sho,' he told her in a determined little voice. 'I wanna paddis this one.'

'Okay, good choice.'

Twenty minutes later, after they made it through the book four times in a row - like his big sister, RJ insisted on getting it right the first time - Beckett tucked her son in for the remainder of his nap, then headed downstairs where she sniffed the air and grinned. 'You made hot chocolate, the good kind.'

'Alexis was always a fan of it on a day like this,' Castle replied, nudging the cup towards her as she joined him at the kitchen table. 'Naptime didn't go so smoothly, I take it?'

'Quite the opposite.'

She told him about how she'd found the little boy staring down the crib like it might actually run out the door, followed up with his insistence he begin learning to read a book on his own so he could read to his sister. Castle laughed, thought about it.

'Trust me when I say that kind of determination is one hundred percent genetic.'

'Yeah?'

'Oh yes, it's not just a Beckett trait, it's a Castle one too.' Castle paused to sip his own hot chocolate. 'When Alexis was about the same age, she told me, Daddy I nee' learn addition, and I asked her why Alexis, and she I wan' do a le-nade sand atta park.'

'She wanted a lemonade stand at the park?' Beckett laughed. 'Sounds like Alexis. What became of it?'

'We tried it for three days. Then the park patrol came by and told me she needed a vendor's permit.'

'What did you tell her?'

'That the park police thought she was very nice and that they wanted her to give them some for free. She didn't like that idea so she closed up shop.'

'Did you ever tell her?'

'Yeah, when she was old enough to understand it. It's not a sin to withhold information from a baby to protect them, Kate.'

'I know that now, you know, now that I'm a mother. I want my son and daughter to know what it means to do the right thing.'

As Castle was an expert at reading between the lines, he knew exacctly what she was driving at. 'Kate, why don't you call your boys, tell them what Montgomery told you?'

'That's even more people to drag in though, right? Like you said the more who know, the more chance of leaks.'

'But you also pointed out the more who know the better security you all have. They can be your eyes and ears on the inside.'

She hadn't thought of it that way, and rather than giving him the satisfaction of being right Beckett picked up the houseline and dialed Esposito's house line first. She grinned when she heard Tessi answer.

'Hola, Esuh-posito house.'

'Hello, is this Tessi?'

'Who is talkin' puh-lease?'

'It's Katie, sweetheart.'

'Hi Katie! You wanna talk to Mami or Daddy today?' the little girl asked in her bright and sunny way.

'Daddy, please.'

Beckett waited as she heard quite clearly the holler for Esposito, the shuffle of the phone to the man of the house followed by his slightly terse greeting. 'This better be good, Kate, I'm on the verge of getting three children down for their nap so I can get late-stage preggo sex with Meredeth.'

'Montgomery was by my house this afternoon. Him and Officer Brennan are going to working my mother's case out of CCU with the leads we gave them. Still cranky with me?'

'Wait, he's doing what?'

'Montgomery went to the Cold Case Unit and they agreed to give him a window to work the case officially. He's drafted in Adam Brennan as a civilian expert and they are going to work with me unofficially. You and Ryan want in?'

'Tessi, cover your ears. Fuckin' A we do,' he replied.

'Good. Now go get some afternoon sex, I'll call Ryan.'


	71. The Kids' Party: 1 Month Old

'RJ, hold still!'

'I too ess-cited, Mumum! We haffin' a pah-tee fo' Sho-sho!'

'Party or not, you still need clothes on.'

Beckett arm-wrestled her wriggling three-year-old into his undershirt, then dragged his sweater over his head which had the boy groaning in frustration. 'What now?' she asked, a little frazzled.

'Mumum, my hair all messy! Gotta fix it!'

'Alright, little mister GQ.' But when she reached for the brush beside her on the bed, RJ grabbed it and marched over to his floor-length mirror.

'No! I do it! I big!'

'Okay then.'

Beckett watched as RJ stared at his reflection and dragged the soft-bristled brush over his dark brown hair with deliberate strokes. Yes, he was his father's child - no matter his man-boy shortcomings, Castle never expected others to take care of him, and their son was taking after him like that for sure.

Of course, she couldn't blame RJ for his determination today - Honey-Milk had relayed to her that Dell and Mallory, along with Carey, Tessi and Rosie all wanted to have their own party for RJ and Jojo, that they wanted to be like the grownups and have their own special party for the new big brother and baby so Honey-Milk and Lanie decided to put it together under the guise that it was a kids-only party for Jojo so RJ could be involved in the planning of the event yet still be surprised.

'Okay, Mumum, I fix it.'

'Mind if I give you a little once over too?' Beckett asked him, noting how he hadn't really fixed anything, just given his little head a case of static cling so his hair was flying up at right angles to his scalp.

'Shoo, Mumum.'

A few strokes of the brush later and RJ was satisfied he looked 'sha'p' for his Trini; they were just putting the dirty clothes in the hamper when Castle came in with Jojo in his arms, wearing an adorably frilly blue dress and little white pantyhose. On her feet were tiny little white patent leather party shoes with bows on the toes that matched the little white ribbon attached to her little crop of red hair.

'Hello pah-tee gil!' RJ crowed as his little sister and Jojo gave him a big smile. 'Aw, she know me now!'

'Of course she does, you barely leave her side,' Castle reminded him. 'You ready to go, big brother?'

'Ah-course, Daddy! 'Mon, Mumum, it pah-tee time!'

* * *

><p>Since Honey-Milk had the most space in the apartment after Meredeth and Esposito's townhouse, she'd been deemed hostess for the party, which she didn't mind since it had been her son's idea originally. As she was used to the under-ten crowd in large groups of varying ages, she had no problem telling the parents that she only needed herself, Andrea and Beckett to stick around for the festivities. It had made Castle pout a bit but RJ wagged a finger at him quite literally as they went up the elevator at the Ryan apartment building.<p>

'Daddy, no sa' face. This fo' lit-tle kids. Mem'er, you say I 'tay wit Shane an' Alessis?'

'Oh, he's got you there, Rick,' Beckett giggled, then looked to Jojo for confirmation. 'Right baby girl?'

Jojo wiggled and kicked her legs in her carrier, which Beckett took for a 'yes' as she knocked on the door of the Ryan apartment. There was the rushing sound of little feet and then Dell's voice.

'Who is there, please?'

'It Ah-Shay an' Sho-sho, Dell!' RJ replied loudly, startling his sister who looked at him with wide eyes before wrinkling up her face and letting out a little fart.

There was the murmur of voices on the other side and a few seconds later, Honey-Milk opened the door with a smile. 'Come on in guys! There are some pretty excited little ones here to see you.'

'They see my Sho-sho, she the pishal gil to-day,' RJ declared, and all three adults were touched by RJ's humility. 'She a whole one-mont' ol' today!'

'That's right, but I think you're wrong about it being just her special day. Come with me, big boy.'

Honey-Milk held out her hand for RJ, who looked a little baffled, and Castle and Beckett watched as he got a great surprise when she took him to the living room. On the wall by the TV was a paper banner that read 'Yea RJ and Jojo!' in Honey-Milk's handwriting, doodled with the children's names. The coffee table was filled with two little piles of wrapped presents and between the two was the cluster of small party-goers: Dell, Tessi, the twins were all standing together while Violet, Kelley, Mallory and Duncan clustered together near the presents, and Nessa, Finn and Rosie by the small table of snacks, all with big grins on their faces while Andrea and Lanie recorded the arrival of the guests of honor with video and still cameras.

'Hi RJ and Jojo! Happy party day!' Dell declared proudly; beside him Tessi added, 'We are havin' a party for you both today, and we are going to have so much fun!'

'Yea for par-tee!' Mallory applauded loudly, and for Jojo the noise was a little too much as she began to whimper and mewl in her carrier.

'Why niffy?' Nessa asked sympathetically. 'Why Sho-sho niffy?'

'Niffy,' Finn added. 'Niffy, Mama?'

'No, Jojo's not sniffling, she's just a little startled, I think, baby,' Lanie reassured her youngest child while Beckett soothed the baby.

'Ah-cause it so lou',' RJ replied importantly with a firm nod as Beckett plucked the littlest party-goer from her carrier and kissed her reddening cheek. 'It okay, Sho-sho, we puh-lay nice. An' why my name there?'

'Because you are important today too, RJ,' Rosie told him, coming over to give him a hug. 'It's about you having a little sister too, not just the little sister.'

'Oh, you so nice!'

' 'Mon, Ah-Shay!' Trini stepped forward and gave him her trademark sweet smile as she held out her hand. 'We doin' aht-work.'

'Yeah, we're doing an arts and crafts project. Katie you get to join in for Jojo since she is so small,' Carey explained.

'Well.' Castle pretended to be put out. 'Guess I'm just here to be a hatrack, huh?'

'No, Daddy, we goo',' RJ told him, letting go of Trini's hand long enough to go over and give him a hug and a kiss. 'See you soon. Love you.'

'Love you too, big guy. Go have fun with your friends,' he replied.

RJ didn't give it another thought as he turned back to his friends and grinned. 'Now it pah-tee time!'

Beckett had to laugh at her son, and the sound of her giggles had Jojo gurgling happily as Lanie came over and sat down beside her. 'So, Mom, or should I say Mumum, how's it going with two under-fives?'

'So far, the first month has been really good. I've been stocking up on pumped milk so after I've done the overnight feedings RJ and Rick can feed her breakfast.'

'Already training him as a babysitter?''

Lanie and Beckett looked over as Andrea came out of the bathroom and plunked herself down on the other side of Beckett, allowing Honey-Milk to make her own dash for the loo.

'Not exactly, he was insisting he get to do it, because he's the big brother,' Beckett explained. 'RJ takes that responsibility very seriously.'

'That's so sweet, Carey was the same way with Violet,' Lanie sighed. 'And then Violet and Carey were both like that with Finn.'

'How's he doing? I know he had the sniffles a couple weeks ago,' Andrea inquired, reaching for the can of ginger-ale on the counter.

'Much better, he told me he wanted to be all better for the party today. '

'He's talking very well for someone not even one,' Beckett noted as she watched the smallest Parrish-Robbins chirping away with the other kids as Dell, Carey and Kelley organized them into teams for a game of some kind. 'It's kinda funny, isn't it?'

'What?'

'Our kids are taking our lead about celebrating just being together. I'm suddenly having a vision flashing forward of them having their own little Hamptons weekends when they are teenagers and no one is left out.'

'Ah, which begs the Final Jeopardy Question, who would get the boathouse,' Lanie asked with a giggle.

'That's easy,' Andrea scoffed. 'Tessi and Dell, of course.'

'Nah, I'd put my money on RJ and Trini. Beckett?'

'Much as I _so_ want to think about my son's future private life as a teenager,' Beckett replied with her own face breaking into a grin, 'I'm with Andrea. Look at them.'

All three women watched the way Tessi and Dell trade secret little looks at each other, the way Dell would say one thing and Tessi would shake her head just like they were an old married couple already. It made all the mothers

'What about you, Jojo,' Lanie asked the infant, 'you think any of those boys are cute yet?'

Jojo blinked at her mother's best friend, then let out a monster baby fart, making Beckett crack up. 'I think that's your answer, Lanie.'


	72. The Horror

When they arrived home that afternoon, it was to the smell of Italian food in the loft, making both RJ and Beckett sigh in contentment, as they were loaded up with gifts galore and a napping Jojo.

'Mumum, it 'mell way yummy here,' RJ commented as they walked in, setting down the bags of parcels.

'It does indeed. Wonder what Daddy's making us tonight?'

'I'unno.' RJ removed his boots and lined them up neatly before going into the kitchen to find Castle there. 'Hi-hi, Daddy, wha' we havin' 'night?'

'Lasagne. It's baking in the oven as we speak, which means there is plenty of time for me to hear about your party this afternoon.'

'Firs', Sho-sho go beddie-byes, she 'noozey. She all 'noozey f'om pah-tee.'

'Ah, a born little part-doll, huh?' Castle walked over to give his wife a kiss, which naturally grossed out RJ.

'Eww, Mumum, Daddy, no mooshin' now, we gotta ge' Sho-sho in bed.'

He opened his mouth to make a witty retort, but Beckett was already giving RJ the eye. 'RJ, we've talked about this, I know you like to help out but there's a difference between being helpful and bossing grownups around.'

'I sorry, Mumum, I 'me'mer.'

'That's my boy.' She waited a moment, then looked at her husband. 'He's right, though. Jojo needs her bed.'

'I'll put her down.'

'No, I've got it. RJ wants to tell you all about his afternoon.'

Beckett pecked Castle's cheek, leaving her boys downstairs where RJ was dragging the bag of things he got that afternoon over to the living room.

'You were awfully spoiled today, RJ,' he commented, and RJ put his hands on his hips. 'Tell me about the books.'

He watched as RJ lit up like a sun and scooped up his books to show his father. The boy loved his books, and more he was at the stage of wanting to learn to read them for himself. 'Did you get any more Doctor Seuss?'

'Nuh-uh, no Zoos, Daddy. I go' this one-' he held up _Hurry Up Franklin_ '-and this one-' the next one was _The Paper Bag Princess_ '-and this one. This one way 'pishal,' RJ said holding up _David's Star_. 'Rosie say it 'bou' Chanukah. Tha' im-ortan' ah-cause Shane have Chunakah.'

'That's right, he _celebrates_ Chanukah, and we want Jojo to join in the fun, right?'

'Sacky, Daddy. She gonna sell-bit Chanukah wit' us too. Bu' she too 'mall righ' now.'

'Shane was right.'

Both Castle men looked up, saw Beckett had joined them from the nursery with the baby monitor in hand. 'Why Shane righ', Mumum?' RJ asked her innocently.

'You are always saying that Jojo's too small for things, my little prince.'

'Bu' she way too lit-tle fo'-'

'For everything, well, not everything,' Castle reminded him. 'She likes getting mooshes, and she loves when you make her laugh.'

'She'll need that tomorrow,' Beckett added, giving her husband a look above RJ's head. 'Tomorrow is Jojo's first appointment with the doctor.'

'Ah, yes, is she going to her needles tomorrow?'

'Wrong move, Rick,' Beckett murmured, for RJ sat up like a mummy with his eyes going owlishly round.

'Nee-nills? No, no nee-nills fo' my Sho-sho, nee-nills hur'! She cuh-ry!'

'Uhhh...' Castle looked to his wife for a little bit of help, but she shook her head at him.

'Rick, you opened this door, you walk through it.'

'RJ, wait...where are you going?' he asked his son, who had slithered off the couch and was about to make a break for it.

'I go tell Sho-sho you bein' mean an' makin' her go getta nee-nill.'

As she recognized the signs of a full mutiny about to break, Beckett decided it was time to step in. 'RJ, Jojo isn't being punished with a needle. She needs them to prevent getting sick. You had them too when you were little like her.'

'Bu'...bu' she gonna cuh-ry,' he insisted.

'That is a given, because she'll be scared and confused about it, but that's okay. She will be just fine once things calm down.'

'I be there. I tell her no' be 'faid.'

'That's a very good idea.'

* * *

><p>The next day, true to his word RJ insisted on going with them to Cook's office. He brought along one of the books he'd been learning to read and was reading it aloud to Jojo while Castle and Beckett waited patiently for their daughter's name to be called by the nurse.<p>

'This brings me back,' Beckett murmured, 'I can't remember who cried the most.'

'Me neither.'

'No cuh-ry,' RJ supplied, catching the word in his parents' conversation and taking a pause from the book. 'No 'carin' Sho-sho.'

'It's okay, she's too little to know what's going on,' Beckett said, then paused when Castle laughed. 'I heard it too.'

'Jojo Castle?' the nurse called out, clipboard in hand as he scanned the waiting room.

'That's us. Come on, big brother, let's go.'

The family trouped into the little exam room and RJ continued to read the story to Jojo while Beckett laid her on the little exam bed, began to unfasten her long-sleeved footie-pjs so that Cook would be able to do her pediatric thing with ease.

'Don't worry, Jojo, Mumum's right here, so is Daddy and of course where would you be without your big brother looking out for you, right?'

As the baby was more interested in eating her hand, Beckett just stayed with her and tried not to follow her son's train of thought that Jojo was going to need a needle of some kind and there wouldn't be a damn thing she could do to stop her daughter from crying.

Fortunately, she was saved the stress of waiting too long as Cook came in the room, her face flushed but friendly.

'My goodness, it's a cold wind outside! How are we doing today Castle family?'

'Sho-sho nee' a nee-nill to-day, Dotta?' RJ demand without preamble, making Cook smile understandingly at him.

'She needs a little one today, RJ, because we want to test for any allergies she might have.'

'She goo' baby, she no' sick.'

'And we're going to take just a few drops of blood today to make sure she stays that way.'

Cook dragged over a chair for RJ to stand on, much like Harvey had when Beckett was pregnant, and was very good at explaining what she was doing and why to the youngster without being patronizing or too sophisticated. She checked out the baby's eyes and ears, checked her joint and reflex development and assured the parents and big brother that she was a healthy baby growing right on schedule.

When the infamous moment arrived, Cook informed them that it would be Loudon, her trusted nurse practitioner, drawing the blood so that the baby didn't make the unconscious link to the doctor's face and pain.

'Why are you doing the allergy panel today, Doctor?' Castle asked.

'There has been a rash of children having allergic reactions to the two-month booster medication and for now the state medical board is having us test for allergies at one month so we can be preventative in our procedures rather than curative,' Cook explained.

'Dotta, I hol' Sho-sho han'?' RJ asked in the voice not of the authoritative big brother but the scared one. 'I hol' Mumum hand when I 'faid.'

'I think that would be a good idea, RJ. Who is going to hold onto Jojo while I do the drawing,' Loudon inquired.

'I will,' Beckett said, knowing that Castle would let her have her mommy-moment.

'No be 'faid, Sho-sho,' RJ added as Beckett picked up the baby and put her in position on her lap. He held out his hand and Jojo grabbed his index finger, squeezed tightly. 'It okay, Ah-Shay here.'

'Okay, Jojo, one two three, and here we go,' Loudon said, poking the heel of Jojo's left foot with the syringe and drawing up the blood. It was over in five seconds, but it had only taken Jojo three to figure out something was terribly wrong, and she began to wail like a little banshee; her face turned bright red and Beckett swore she saw a little tear leak out.

'It's okay, darling, it's okay, it's all done, Mumum's here,' she murmured as Jojo raised holy hell while Loudon put the baby-sized band-aid over her foot. 'Not to worry, my good little girl, the hard part's done and you are so brave.'

'Man, she is not a happy camper,' Castle commented, hoping his blithe attitude would mask his own upset impotence at not being able to help his little girl.

'It okay, Sho-sho, Ah-Shay here,' the big brother added, and to all their amazements, Jojo unclenched her little eyes at the sound of RJ's voice.

'RJ, keep talking to her, it's working,' Beckett encouraged him and RJ jostled his hand where his little sister had a death grip on his finger.

'Tha' righ', it 'cary but it okay, all gone now an' Ah-Shay here.'


	73. The Date Night

The day after Jojo's epic meltdown at the pediatrician's and RJ's comforting of his sister, Castle knew his wife was ready for a little break away from the kids. He knew she was ready for a night out, where she didn't have to worry about a damn thing except the kind of pie they had for dessert.

So he called in a marker from his future son-in-law, whom he had done a huge favour for - in a very classic father-in-law move, he'd lent Shane his car during a snow-storm to drive Alexis back to Princeton rather than having her take the train in the inclement weather. Shane had known that he would probably be repaying it by helping with the babies, so Castle decided to give him a taste of being a daddy for a night and requested that he be in charge of RJ and Jojo so that he could take Beckett out for a nice little mommy-break.

'Bet this feels a little weird, huh?' Castle commented as he watched Shane changed Jojo's soiled nappie like a champ.

'What?'

'You are refreshing the diaper of your future sister in law, bro.'

'Yeah, well, Jojo should be so lucky that her future brother in law jumps in with two hands and doesn't get grossed out by a little baby poop, right my lovely little bluebell?' Shane crooned at Jojo and she gave him what passed for her month-old giggle. 'That's right, because bro-in-law Shane deals with dead bodies for a living, so whatever comes out of your cute little tushy ain't gonna bother me none.'

'You remember how to do the bottles?'

Shane nodded as he fastened the crotch-snaps of Jojo's onsie - the very one he and Alexis had given her on her birthday, a pale yellow affair covered in butterflies of varying sizes - then scooped her up in his arms, careful to hold her head steady. 'Float for six minutes in the boiling water, then let stand thirty seconds so it doesn't burn her little tongue. Don't want that, do we cutie?'

'Man, Alexis is going to be frothing at the mouth with mommy-delight when she sees how good you are with babies,' Beckett commented from the door, giving them a smile. 'But of course, you guys are content with the practicing for now, right?'

'Very, very content,' Shane agreed, swinging around to give her a look and whistled. 'Damn, you clean up nice Detective Mumum.'

'Thanks Doctor Sonny-Boy. Where's RJ?'

'In his room, trying to comfort Omeo.'

'Omeo?' Castle repeated, standing up from the armchair.

'Yes, Omeo is very concerned that you are going out and Jojo is still so little,' Shane explained, trying to keep the laugh out of his voice. 'RJ keeps telling him I'm here to take care of things with him, but the little bunny has his doubts.'

'Maybe I should have a man-to-rabbit talk with him. Does that make me Eddie Valiant?' Castle asked Beckett, kissing her cheek on the way by.

'If that's true, that makes me Dolores and not Jessica.'

'Dolores was hot too, she rocked that hat and cleaned her boyfriend's drinking habit up, and she took care of the Weasels,' Castle reminded her as they went to their son's room.

'This is why you like having kids, it's an excuse to watch all the old kids' movies we liked.

'Oh, no, _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ is not for kids,' Castle protested. 'My first date that wasn't a school dance or something was taking a girl to see that movie.'

'So cute.' Beckett put her palm on his cheek, then pinched it when he added, 'It was also the first night I got to second base with a girl.'

'And we're back. Hey, RJ, Omeo's feeling a little frightened?'

RJ, who was sitting on the floor of his room surrounded by toddler-sized Legos nodded as he held out his much abused and equally loved stuffed bunny. 'He 'cared fo' Sho-sho,' he explained. 'He 'cared she go bump when Mumum no' here.'

'Ah, well, come here, Omeo.' Castle took the stuffed toy from RJ and cradled him just like he would Jojo. 'Listen, I know it might be scary without me and Mumum here, but trust me, Shane is very good at looking after little ones, and he will keep you and RJ and Jojo all safe and sound. What's that? Oh, I love you too. Be sure to tell me if RJ was good for Shane. They're thick as thieves and I know he'll cover for him.'

'I goo' boy, Daddy!' RJ retorted with as much indignity a three-year-old could muster. He snatched his bunny back from his father, stroked his fuzzy little head. 'No be 'cared Omeo. It okay, Ah-Shay here an' Shane here too. He way coo'.'

'Okay, RJ, give us a kiss.' Beckett crouched down so her son could peck her cheek and give her a squishing hug. 'I love you.'

'Love you too, Mumum. And love you too Daddy.'

'Thank big guy. Love you too.' Castle held out his hand for a high-five and laughed when RJ slapped his palm like he was crushing a little bug. 'Thanks my little prince. We'll see you later, okay?'

'Wai', Sho-sho say nigh'-nigh'?'

'She did, not to worry.'

'Okay. Yea pah-tee!'

Beckett snickered as the trio went into the hallway, downstairs to find Shane there with Jojo on the floor on her play-mat. 'Shane we'll see you around nine-thirty, ten at the latest.'

'Have fun!'

Beckett waved at her children, then giggled as she heard RJ telling Shane that Jojo was squirming all funny as Castle shut the door behind her. She looked at Castle, then gave a little sigh. 'Is it wrong of me that I'm so totally okay with going out and leaving my little ones in another person's care?'

'I think you're this totally okay with it because it's Shane. Had it been someone else, like a regular babysitter and not a member of the family, you'd be still upstairs clinging to the rails of Jojo's crib going, please don't make me leave my child!'

She snorted a laugh out as they waited for the lift. 'I'm surprised you aren't blacking out over how good with kids Shane is.'

'Why would I be doing that?'

'Given what he and Alexis have been through, losing a baby they didn't even know they'd made, I thought you'd be apprehensive of him around little ones. It might give him ideas and pressure Alexis into having a baby as soon as she's finished school.'

'I want you to think about who we're talking about.' Castle pushed the button for the garage. 'Our daughter has a backbone and a mind of her own, she doesn't even let her bio-mom push her around, what makes you think she'd let Shane do that?'

'This is true.' Beckett chewed her lip in thoughtfulness, not caring it might ruin her carefully done non-mom makeup. 'How do you feel about the fact Evil Meredith was invited and accepted an invite to the engagement party Sloan and Body are throwing for them next week?'

'I think it's very gracious of Alexis to invite her like that, I also know for a fact that Meredith will need someone to remind her that it's not about her, and that when we want a family photo, it means you, me, Alexis and Shane.'

'Have anyone on tap for that? Oh, wait, let me guess. A certain redhead we know and love with the flare for the dramatic?'

'Got it in one, you're still sharp as ever Detective.'

Castle held the door open for her and they headed out into the crisp January night, where they hailed a cab and deciding to change up their plans, went for the movie first - the latest Hollywood interpretation of the Sherlock Holmes story _A Study in Scarlet_ - so that if necessary, they could cut their night short or if they wanted to, extended it a little further.

When they arrived at the Bordelais Bistro, Castle ordered them a nice bottle of white wine which had Beckett looking at her watch. 'I'll be good, I have bottles at home I can use for Jojo's feeding at midnight.'

'Kate, it's barely seven-thirty, you will be fine, just pump out right when we get home.'

'Right. I know, it just feels like cheating because with RJ, I waited a little longer before I had any wine.'

'Not to worry, you won't get Jojo sick. Now, more importantly, what are you going to have to eat? I'm thinking that poached haddock with the tomato-fig chutney looks yummy.'

'It's prissy food,' Beckett said with a wrinkle to her nose as she scanned the menu.

'It's date night food.'

'Yeah, if you are trying to impress someone,' she countered with a laugh. 'You've already gotten me naked many many times, so-'

'Hold that thought. Hey Shane,' Castle said, answering his ringing cellphone. He kept a placid look on his face even as he listened to the man's slightly frantic voice. 'Really? Okay. Okay. No, we'll be right home.'

'What is it?' Beckett asked, her stomach starting to knot.'

'Shane said Jojo isn't feeling so hot and thinks she needs to go to the ER.'


	74. The ER Visit

Beckett couldn't get through the door fast enough when they got home, but to her surprise, the loft wasn't filled with the sound of Jojo crying in pain or distress. Quite the opposite, in fact, as RJ and Shane were sitting on the couch with Jojo in her diaper and a loose white blanket.

'Hey, guys, what's the problem?' she asked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

'I tell Shane, Sho-sho ex-ta suh-quirmy and he no' lissen,' RJ started, but quieted when Shane simply put a hand on his shoulder.

'RJ and I were playing with Jojo, and she was squirmy and getting a little bit fussy so I took her upstairs to get her diaper changed and I saw this on her legs.'

Shane drew back the towel and Beckett sighed as she looked at the itchy red bumps. 'Are they everywhere?'

'Yep, all up her back and on her arms, but she hasn't been crying, just squirming and wriggling like she's trying to satisfy the itchiness herself. I don't think I'm overreacting because I know that's not normal for babies to break out, so I think this warrants a trip to the ER, at the very least to get her some kind of cream to soothe it.'

'The fast-track at Saint Vincent's,' Castle decided, then took RJ's hand to help him get dressed for the trip to the hospital while Beckett took Jojo upstairs to put her in clothes suitable for going outside in February weather. 'If she was crying I would think she needs the ER, but she's not crying?' he double-checked with Shane, who nodded studiously.

'Not a peep beyond her usual gurgling.'

'Daddy, we gotta take Sho-sho to Dotta Coo',' RJ insisted as his father put his boots on him. 'I nee' my bag.'

'I'll get it for you, not to worry. You stay here with Shane.'

'Mm-hmm. I be buh-rave fo' Sho-sho.'

* * *

><p>The clinic was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night, but that was fine by Castle as he and Beckett came through the doors with RJ and Jojo. He smiled a little when he saw Honey-Milk in the receptionist area and walked up, carrying Jojo in her carrier with him.<p>

'Rick, what brings you here?'

'Little miss has a very bad rash on her back, thighs and upper arms, but it's not making her cry, just extra wriggling, like she has really dry skin or something and she's rubbing against the floor to scratch herself.'

'Ah, I understand.' Honey-Milk flipped through the

'Why are you down here,' Castle added curiously.

'Slow night upstairs and the nurse on duty went home with the flu. Okay, there are about three people ahead of you but nothing too stressful. Should be in, in about half an hour or so.'

Castle nodded, then headed over to Beckett and RJ, who were naturally reading together. 'Shouldn't be too long,' he informed them, and he was right; twenty-five minutes later they were being ushered into an empty examination room, where Beckett put Jojo on her back on the gurney that made her little body look even smaller.

'It's okay, Jojo, I know this isn't the usual routine but you are all covered in itchy red bumps, honey-pie and we don't want that for our baby, do we?'

'No, Mumum.' RJ dragged over a chair, sat on it to keep an eye on his sister. 'Bu' dotta gonna take care, make it bet-tah, righ'?'

'That's right, big guy.' Castle watched as RJ frowned in concentration while he played with Jojo's fingers. 'That's your thinking-face, RJ, what's on your mind.'

'Shane a dotta, righ'?'

'That's right, he's what we call a pathologist.'

'He help dead pee-pills, righ'?'

'Right.'

'Bu'...they gone to heaven, how he make it bet-tah?'

Beckett smiled at him. How was it easier to explain an autopsy to this little boy than the fact that breastfeeding was a very natural part of life? 'Because sometimes when people are hurt and they die, they still need the doctor to do some test and look after them to make sure the police know how they died so they know which bad guy to look for.'

'Oh. So...Shane a dotta an' he say to po-lice, he go to heaven, this-a bad guy?'

'That's the idea, yes.'

'I geddit.'

Whether he really got it or not was beside the point, RJ's sense of understanding was settled and soothed and that was what was most important for the parents as they waited for the doctor to tell them what was wrong with Jojo.

Their wait was short, as a short Asian doctor with a square face and matching square glasses. 'Johanna Castle?'

'Her name Sho-sho,' RJ offered helpfully, then returned to playing with her fingers.

'Okay, Jojo, I'm Doctor Yu. Now what seems to be the trouble with our little sweet-pea?'

Beckett explained as she unfastened the baby's onsie and held her so Yu could see what the issue was with Jojo's skin. Yu nodded, prodded Jojo a little, checked her little glands under her chin and arms. She checked her temperature, the thermometer make Jojo fuss at the feel of the cold glass against her skin, and took her pint-sized pulse before making notes in her chart.

'When did you see the rash first present?'

'Our son-in-law was babysitting and he said he noticed it when he and RJ were playing with her, maybe around seven pm tonight?'

'And when did you last bathe her?'

'This afternoon, around two o'clock, just before her usual afternoon nap time,' Beckett replied. 'Her skin was fine then.'

'Hmm. Well, it's not chicken-pox, which is good because that can be severe in a baby her size,' Yu told them, 'but she is having a reaction to something. Have you recently switched lotions or soaps that you're using on her?'

'No, we've always used a combination of Johnson's Baby Bubbles and Plant-Life lotions for her because she has such sensitive skin.'

'What about laundry?'

'No, just regular Sunlight soap. I did add in a little bit of fabric softener to the whites, though,' Castle mentioned, 'for the towels that were mixed with her clothing.'

'I'm going to guess that's what it was then, because it's not serious enough for her to have ingested something, it's a topical allergic reaction.'

'Allershies?' RJ looked from the doctor to his parents. 'Mumum, Daddy, Sho-sho have allershies?'

'A small one to some kinds of soap, it seems,' Castle confirmed for him.

'I'm going to write a prescription for an infantile topical cream, and then I would recommend a bath in lukewarm water with no soap of any kind, just to cool her skin down and then lots of aloe gel to soothe the skin. No pjs and were the crib-sheets laundered with the whites?'

'No,' Beckett shook her head. 'They're done with the colourful towels.'

'Right. She should be fine then, to sleep in her crib, but I would put down a towel if you don't want to have to launder the sheets all the time with Jojo having the aloe gel and the cream on her back for the next little while. If it doesn't clear up by the time the cream runs out,' Yu continued, handing over the prescription slip, 'take her to your pediatrician and let them know what you've tried already.'

'Okay. Thank you doctor.'

Yu nodded, and when he'd left RJ let out a little sigh. 'So Sho-sho okay? No nee-nills?'

'No, she doesn't need any needles. Her skin was very angry with the soap that we used to wash some of her clothes, including probably that set of pjs she's waring right now,' Beckett added, 'so we are going to get her some nice gels and creams for her skin and then we're going to take her home for a nice bath.'

'Goo' 'dea.'

* * *

><p>When they arrived back at the loft, none were surprised to see Shane still there, on the phone with Alexis and telling her what Beckett and Castle had already texted to him once they'd left the hospital.<p>

'Of course I'll keep you updated, Lex, I gotta go, they're home. I love you too. Night-night, my sweet. Hey, how did everything go?' he asked when he'd hung up the phone.

'She's having a little reaction to the soap some of her clothes were washed in.'

'Like the detergent? I've had that happen, it's not fun.' Shane shook his head. 'So what's the plan?'

'Bathtime for Jojo, bed-time for RJ,' Beckett replied and was a little surprised when RJ's only reaction was a stifled little yawn.

'Okay Mumum, I way 'noozey,' he said sleepily.

'You don't want to help me with Jojo's bath?'

'Nuh-uh, it ess-hossin' bein' a 'cared big buh-ro.'

'Ess-hossin'?'

'Shane say ess-hossin' mean har' work make-a 'noozey.'

'Oh, exhausted,' Beckett nodded. 'Yes, worrying about our loved ones does that to us.'

RJ leaned over to his little sister, gave her forehead a kiss. 'Nigh'-nigh' Sho-sho, fee' bet-tah 'mo-wow.'

'I'm sure she will with you thinking of her like that.'


	75. The Family Bond: 6 Weeks Old

_So here we are, the final chapter of the 20th birthday party for the Crumbsverse! I want to take a moment and thank the following people for their unwavering love and support, you have all become some of the most beautiful friends I've ever had: **anomalymona, NCISchick, tayababy, Alex Beckett **and **NotJana**_**.**_ You ladies are the most awesome! Now let's see if we can get to 500 reviews! Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>'Mumum, you ess-cited?'<p>

'For what?'

RJ rolled his eyes at her from his stroller as they walked up the street towards the Esposito townhouse. 'Daddy, Mumum bein' silly 'gain.'

'Is she now?' Castle laughed as he pushed Jojo in the pram that had been RJ's and was now being used and enjoyed by the littlest Castle. 'What did she do?'

'I say 'Mumum, you ess-cited' an' she say 'why?'. Tha' silly, it a pah-tee! Ev-ee-one ess-cited! Sho-sho ess-cited too!'

As if to prove her brother's point, Jojo gave a happy little cooing gurgle from the pram and waved her little arms at Castle. 'That's right, sweetie-pie,' he crooned to her, 'even you are excited.'

'I'm surprised Meredeth's even having it, given how pregnant she is,' Beckett commented as they marched up the short flight of stairs and rang the bell. 'She's already a few days overdue.'

'I know, but it's Meredeth,' Castle reminded his wife. 'She wants things to be as normal as possible for her pregnancy given the troubles she had at the start of it.'

'That's true.' Beckett secretly knew that had she been in Meredeth's position, she'd have wanted the same thing - normalcy that bordered on the banal. 'And Esposito's taking some time off which has Montgomery spinning a little from what I hear but then again-'

She cut herself off when the lady of the house answered the door herself, looking surprisingly upbeat for someone who appeared to be on the verge of a water-break with every breath she took.

'Hey guys,' she said with her patented beaming smile, even as her eyes looked tired. 'Come on in, you're the first ones here, which is rather ironic since you're the guests of honour and should have a chance at a grand entrance.'

'Hi-hi, Meredet',' RJ replied bright with a little wave. 'You so big in-a tummy. You' bumpy here soon?'

'He'll be here soon, not to worry RJ. In the meantime I know there is a young lady all but frothing at the mouth to see you.'

'Who?'

'Trini, son,' Castle laughed, delighted with his son's innocence. 'It means Trini's so excited to see you.'

'Oh! Yea!'

'There we are,' Beckett murmured half to her son's lightbulb going off and half to Jojo whom she'd untangled from her warm traveling blanket. 'You ready for a visit, bumpy?'

Before Meredeth could open her mouth and offer a beverage to her guests, the sound of little feet clamoring on the stairs like a miniature herd of buffalo had her rethinking her words of welcome. 'Guys, careful,' she told Tessi, Trini and Leo as they came to a screeching stop on the landing with Esposito watching them with a beady eye. 'We don't want you tripping and falling down the stairs.'

'No goin' oushie, Mami,' Leo assured her, then walked over to RJ and held up his fist. 'Wha' happen, Ah-Shay?'

'You so funny, Leo,' RJ giggled, tapping his knuckles with his friends. Then he looked over at his Trini and all the grown-ups in the room would have sworn that they actually heard him sigh a little lovesick sigh when the female Esposito twin came over and gave him a hug accompanied with a kiss on the cheek.

'Hi-hi, Ah-Shay, we gonna have pah-tee fo' Sho-sho!'

'Uh-huh, an' ev-ee-one gonna be ah-some.'

'I make a peasant fo' Sho-sho.'

'Tha' so nice!' RJ beamed at Trini and the little girl flushed red as a tomato. 'You bes' Tah-rini.'

'Gassy, Ah-Shay. 'Mon, Tessi! 'Mon Leo! We gonna go puh-lay!'

'Not too much stuff out,' Esposito reminded his children as they dragged their friend off. 'There's other people, big and small who are going to be coming to play too.'

'It's okay, Daddy, we will make sure that everything is tidied up,' Tessi reassured her father as the children trouped upstairs to the twins' room; Esposito and Meredeth had determined it would be children-central while the guests for the baby shower arrived.

'So, now that the tots are taken care of, have a look around,' Meredeth laughed, gesturing to the living room.

Beckett did indeed look around and grinned at what she saw: the space was decorated in the theme of Jojo's apple orchard nursery with red and green apples, and lots of adorable bug cutout decorations. Pitchers of red and green drinks were lined up on the coffee table, along with gummy-bug candies and candy apples too. There was no banner over the fireplace trumpeting the happy arrival of the littlest Castle, instead there was a beautiful painting of an apple tree in a frame propped in the corner where the Christmas tree usually sat during the month of December.

'That's from Kristof,' Meredeth informed her, noting that Beckett's eye had traveled to the painting. 'Us Danes love us our apple trees, the whole concept that the apple is the fruit of life and whatnot. Legend has it the old Vikings would eat apples before going into battle when they could so they were channeling the energy and strength of the gods.'

Beckett let out a little giggle, thinking of one of her favourite Robin Williams' jokes - _where's my bitches/here's your raisins_ - then looked at Meredeth when she sucked in a sharp breath. 'You having a baby or something over there?'

'No, just little Max Power giving me a kick in the bladder, trying to tell me he thinks he's in charge or something. Listen you,' Meredeth told her pregnant bump that was wiggling and jiggling away. 'Yes, you in there, Mister Big Foot. You play nice with me or I will make you eat spinach instead of the bacon cheeseburger I know you're going to want for dinner tonight. Do we understand each other?'

The bump jiggled again and Meredeth nodded. 'Good boy. Now we'll go take a leak. Beckett, feel free to answer the door.'

'And we are taking this little one into the kitchen,' Castle informed his bride, with Jojo in his arms, 'so that when Arturo freaks at the doorbell, she won't get scared.'

Beckett nodded and Castle gave his little girl a light, loving jostle. 'Come on, let's go find Javi in the kitchen, my sweetheart.'

As he thought he might, father and daughter found Esposito in the kitchen working on forming burgers that Meredeth had mentioned to Beckett. The man looked so comfortable in the kitchen now that it was hard to imagine he was the same inept kitchen-klutz who'd tried to make his woman chicken parmigiana and flavoured it with apple-pie spice.

'Who's that big guy over there,' Castle crooned to Jojo as he sat down with her at the table, away from the raw meat. 'That's Javi, isn't it? Yeah, and he's making us yummy burgers.'

'That's right, _cari_,' Esposito replied with a wink at the baby, 'and unless you turn out to be a veggie-saurus like Kevin and Cam and Robina, you will quickly learn this is the quickest route to discovering nirvana on earth.'

'Well, right now, her idea of nirvana is no more itchy bumps on her soft skin.' Castle made a little pouty face. 'Nothing like having date night cut short because the one-month-old needs an emergency dermatology consult in the Saint Vincent's clinic.'

'Poor little thing, but remember, it could be worse. Remember what happened to Dell?'

'I do, all too well, which is why I'm not freaking about the small things like soap-induced rashes. Jojo and RJ are both healthy, happy children.'

'And your third happy and healthy baby is in the late stages of wedding planning.' Esposito gave him a toothy grin. 'Kevin and Dave and Daniel and I are having a grand time getting his bachelor party planned.'

'Shouldn't that be the best man's job?'

'Normally, yeah, but Body told us we have free reign since he's going to be out of town for his parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary the weekend we are planning it.' Esposito slapped the last of the burgers into shape, then used the touchless faucet to wash his hands. 'Off topic for today, though. Today's for your little _mija_.'

'Actually, Espo, I love talking about the wedding at the baby shower,' Castle confessed honestly, which had Esposito's eyebrow's winging up.

'Seriously, dude?'

'Seriously. Reminds me of one very, all-important thing.'

'Yeah?'

'Family comes in all forms and all of them deserve to be celebrated with love.'

'Wise words,' Esposito agreed, then smiled widely when Meredeth and Beckett came in. 'Hey mamas.'

'Hey daddies,' Beckett replied, going over to give Jojo's head a little kiss. 'I just got a text from Alexis, she is going to stop by tomorrow for a visit when she and Shane are back in the city for the engagement party.'

'Oh, yea!' Meredeth clapped, then winced as she got another kick from her unborn son. 'Yeah, yeah, bossy little thing, I'll behave.'

'Mumum?'

Beckett looked over as RJ came wandering in with Trini on his heels. 'I have a juice, puh-lease an' gassy?'

'Of course, and guess what?'

'Wha'?'

'Alexis is going to be home tomorrow morning for a visit and a party.'

RJ's eyes went wide. 'Yea! To-day fo' Sho-sho, an' 'morrow Alessis.'

Castle laughed as he held his little girl close and gave her a kiss as he heard the first of the party-people arrive. His words to Esposito might have been slightly cheesy, he thought, but that didn't make them any less true.

'Come on, Jojo,' he murmured standing up. 'Let's go have some fun with your mumum and bro.'


End file.
